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THE  LIBRARIES 
COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


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SCOTLAND  AND  THE  SCOTCH. 


SCOTLAND  AND  THE  SCOTCH 


OR, 


2Cf)e  WituUvn  (tivtuiU 


By    CATHERINE    SINCLAIR, 

Author  of  ''Modern  Accomplishments,"  "Modern  Society,"'  "Hill  and  Val- 
ley," "Cliarlie  Seymour,"  "Holiday  House,"  &c.  &c. 


Brave  world,  that  has  such  people  in  it ! 

Shakspeare. 


DEDICATED  TO  THE  HIGHLAND  SOCIETV. 


N  E  \V  .  Y  O  R  K  : 

D.   AP  PL  ETON   &   CO.,    200   BROADWAY. 

184^0. 


UNIVERSITY   PRESS. 
JOHN  F.  TROW,  PRINTER,  114  NASSAU  STREET. 


PREFACE. 


Studious  we  toil,  correct,  amend,  retouch, 
Take  much  away,  yet  mostly  leave  too  much. 

It  may  probably  be  considered  a  some- 
what presumptuous  hope  for  the  author 
to  imagine  she  might  add  any  interest  to 
what  is  already  familiarly  known  respect- 
ing past  and  present  times  in  Scotland  ; 
and  certainly  if  the  many  who  could  suc- 
ceed in  this  attempt  better,  had  under- 
taken the  pleasing  task  at  all,  she  might 
hav^e  entirely  refrained  from  adding  her 
mite  to  the  general  fund  of  entertainment 
on  those  interesting  topics.  The  mine  is 
abundant,  and  requires  only  to  be  worked, 
but  strangers  about  to  explore  the  north- 
ern regions,  vainly  inquire  for  any  recent 
work,  to  act  as  a  clue  in  conducting  them 
through  the  labyrinth  of  our  Highland 
hills  and  glens,  affording  the  general  in- 


«  C3  y.)  U  k 


VI  PREFACE. 

formation,  and  local  anecdotes,  which  add 
life  and  animation  to  that  beautiful  scene- 
ry. While  the  press  abounds  with  inter- 
esting pages,  describing  the  present  state 
of  the  Pawnees,  Zoolus,  Red  Indians, 
Thugs,  London  pick-pockets,  New  Zeal- 
anders,  and  other  barbarians,  hardly  one 
stray  journal  has  ventured  forth,  these 
many  years,  respecting  the  almost  un- 
known tribes  of  Caledonia. 

An  excursion  in  Scotland  wants  the 
novelty  and  adventure  of  savage  life  ; 
neither  can  it  boast  of  anything  to  com- 
pare with  the  gorgeous  paraphernalia  of 
a  continental  tour.  The  traveller  must 
here  dispense  with  carnivals,  operas,  cath- 
edrals, restaurateurs,  brigands,  improvisa- 
tori,  arch-dukes,  and  ex-kings;  nor  can  he 
fall  into  raptures  about  the  Venus  de 
Medici,  or  the  climate,  but  to  compensate 
for  these  lamentable  deficiencies,  we 
have  in  the  Highlands  old  traditions, 
second  sight,  bagpipes,  witchcraft,  clans, 
tartan,  whiskey,  heather,  muir-fowl,  red- 
deer,  and  Jacobites! 


PREFACE.  Vll 

Should  a  single  travelling  carriage  al- 
ter its  course  this  year  from  Calais  to  the 
north,  and  trace  out  any  part  of  this  tour 
as  it  is  described,  with  half  the  pleasure 
such  an  excursion  is  capable  of  exciting, 
the  highest  ambition  of  this  volume  would 
be  attained,  and  the  information  afforded 
along  the  road  will  at  least  be  found  ac- 
curate. The  author's  chief  perplexity 
has  arisen  from  being  too  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  the  country,  as  she  finds 
great  difficulty  in  compressing  this  work 
within  portable  compass,  and  she  has  also 
been  deeply  solicitous,  not  in  a  single  in- 
stance to  infringe  the  sacred  privacy  of 
society,  nor  the  confidence  of  domestic 
life ;  therefore  her  pages  resemble  the 
catalogue  of  a  picture  exhibition — where 
landscapes  only  appear,  they  are  describ- 
ed at  full  length,  and  historical  scenes  are 
drawn  without  disguise,  but  when  an  in- 
dividual is  accidentally  introduced,  he  al- 
ways preserves  a  strict  incognito,  being 
mentioned  as  the  ''  Portrait  of  a  gentle- 
man," or  ''Likeness  of  an  officer  in  uni- 


VIU  PREFACE. 

form,"  or  "  Sketch  of  a  chieftain  in  High- 
land costume." 

The  author  wishes  the  pen  may  fall 
from  her  hand,  before  she  writes  a  page 
not  devoted  to  sound  religion  and  strict 
propriety,  or  which  can  injure  either  the 
dead  or  the  living.  She  believes,  how^ever, 
it  must  be  conceded  by  every  candid  read- 
er, that  while  occupying  her  own  leisure, 
and  endeavouring  to  beguile  that  of  oth- 
ers, in  sketching  these  recollections  of 
Scotland's  present  beauty,  and  of  Scot- 
land's former  greatness,  she  has  recorded 

"  Not  one  line  that,  dying,  I  would  wish  to  blot." 


SCOTLAND  AND  THE  SCOTCH. 


ROTHESAY. 


TO  A  SCOTCH  COUSIN. 

Where  smiling  Spring  its  earliest  visit  paid, 
And  parting  Summer's  lingering  blooms  delay'd. 

Goldsmith. 

My  dear  Cousin, — It  is  said  that,  in  most 
English  schools,  the  pupils  are  obliged,  during 
dinner,  to  devour  a  large  portion  of  pudding, 
mere  heavy,  tasteless  dough,  before  being  per- 
mitted to  partake  of  more  palatable  food;  and 
on  a  somewhat  similar  plan,  of  beginning  by  a 
surfeit,  it  appears  to  me,  that  travellers  generally 
treat  their  readers  v^ith  dull  tedious  apologies 
for  writing  at  all,  followed  by  a  wearisome  voyage, 
in  which  all  the  loathsome  sufferings  of  sea-sickness 
are  elaborately  described.  We  used  to  wish  formerly 
that  a  Professor  of  Good  Advice  could  be  appointed 
2 


10  ROTHESAY. 

at  the  university,  and  I  hope  one  of  the  fii^t  hints  in 
his  lectures  will  be,  to  make  as  short  a  preamble  as 
possible,  before  endeavouring  to  amuse  those  who  are 
amuseable,  and  to  please  those  who  are  obligingly 
disposed  to  be  pleased ;  therefore,  in  accordance 
^vith  his  supposed  recommendation,  I  hereby  omit  the 
six  pages  of  dreary  dulness  with  which  my  letter 
ought  to  commence. 

The  world  is  shrinking  into  a  mere  nut-shell  now, 
since  places  that  seemed  formerly  at  the  world's  end, 
are  of  late  become  attainable  in  a  few  hours.  Ameri- 
ca only  twelve  days  off!  London  so  near,  that  the 
sealing-wax  on  oui'  letters  from  thence  has  scarcely 
time  to  cool  before  we  get  them  ;  and  even  the  beau- 
tiful island  of  Bute,  which  we  reckoned  once  upon  a 
time  as  far  off  as  Malta  is  now,  appears  to  have  float- 
ed so  much  nearer  to  the  metropolis,  that  in  one  single 
day  we  have  made  a  flight  from  Edinburgh  to  Rothe- 
say. Wliether  in  a  balloon  or  otherwise  it  matters 
not,  we  found  ourselves  safely  landed  on  this  charm- 
ing spot,  the  Montpellier  of  Scotland,  where  con- 
sumptive patients,  unable  to  endure  any  other  air, 
find  it  possible  to  breathe  with  comfort,  and  where 
we  felt  the  soft,  balmy  western  breeze  coming  to 
meet  us  from  the  mouth  of  Rothesay  bay.  I  really 
grudged  that  it  should  be  wasted  on  us,  when  so 
many  lingering  invalids  are  longing  for  its  almost 
magical  influence  on  their  wasted  lungs.     I  shall 


ROTHESAY.  11 

never  forget  the  fervour  with  wliich  a  sick  young 
friend  of  my  own  once  exclaimed,  when  suffering 
severely  from  the  high,  sharp,  arrow-like  winds  of 
Edinburgh,  "  Oh  !  what  would  I  not  give  for  one 
single  gasp  of  Rothesay  air  !"  Brummel  used  to  say 
he  was  ashamed  of  the  weather  in  London,  but  here 
I  am  really  proud  of  it,  as  you  will  begin  to  suspect, 
if  I  write  about  nothing  else. 

Rothesay  bay  is  studded  round  wdth  villas,  of 
which  there  are  not  fewer  than  forty  on  the  east  end, 
looking  like  a  one-sided  street,  its  ranks  are  so  regu- 
lar, while  to  the  west  they  fall  into  disorder,  some 
houses  being  mounted  high  up  the  hill,  keeping  a 
look-out  across  the  water,  and  apparently  determined 
not  to  be  overlooked  in  the  world,  while  others  lie 
snuo;  and  low  on  the  beach.  The  architecture  is  in 
different  styles  of  ugliness,  but  all  as  frightful  as  stone 
and  lime  can  make  them ;  luckily,  however,  for 
their  inhabitants,  it  is  the  inside  of  a  house,  and  not 
the  outside,  on  which  comfort  depends,  consequently 
invahds  must  forget  Rickman  or  Hunt  on  picturesque 
cottages,  and  be  satisfied  to  recover  under  steep- 
slated  roofs  and  chimneys,  with  no  other  ornament 
than  a  column  of  smoke. 

In  this  little  marine  city,  which  is  like  Venus  ris- 
ing out  of  the  sea,  nothing  surprised  me  more  than  to 
find  neither  baths  nor  bathing-machines  !  Rothesay 
has  no  right  to  call  itself  a  sea-bathing  quarter ! 


12  ROTHESAY. 

Never  was  salt  water  so  thrown  away  on  any  place ! 
The  little  crisp,  clear,  crystal  waves  curl  up  on  the 
beach  most  invitingly,  sparkling  and  dancing  in  the 
sun,  but  when  you  ask,  "  Where  are  the  machines  ?" 
echo  answers,  "  Where  ?'  No  facility  is  afforded 
for  enjoying  what  the  Americans  call  "  this  privilege 
of  water,"  either  hot  or  cold,  and  the  shore  all 
round  the  bay  seems  as  public  as  the  Serpentine  in 
London  ;  therefore  the  inhabitants  must  dip  into  the 
ocean  as  you  dip  into  a  novel,  merely  giving  it  a 
"  supercihous  glance."  One  very  enterprising  talk- 
er has  talked  for  some  years  of  trying,  as  a  specula- 
tion, to  establish  baths  here,  on  a  scale  worthy  of 
Constantinople  or  Cheltenham,  but  his  good  inten- 
tions have  ebbed  and  flowed  so  long,  that  I  fear  the 
sea  will  cease  to  be  salt  before  he  finally  makes  up 
his  mind. 

You  could  not  easily  find  a  pleasanter  inn  than 
this,  which  is  exceedingly  well  kept  by  a  Devon- 
shire landlady,  Mrs.  M'Corkindale,  who  finds  the 
chmate  so  like  that  of  her  native  land,  she  may  not 
probably  have  yet  discovered  the  change  of  lati- 
tude. From  her  windows,  however,  we  have  a 
scene  not  to  be  matched  among  the  flat,  smooth, 
well-rolled  surface  of  a  more  southern  landscape. 
The  deep,  intensely  blue  ocean  is  here  framed  in  a 
circle  of  noble,  solemn  looking  mountains,  among 
which  you  would  admire  that  curious  museum  of 


ROTHESAY.  13 

hills  with  rough  ragged  tops,  jocularly  named  "  Ar- 
gyle's  bowling  green  ;"  and  far  off  on  the  opposite 
coast  stands  the  ruined  old  castle  of  Toward,  which 
once  had  the  honour  of  Queen  Mary's  company  at 
dinner ;  and  also  conspicuously  placed,  is  its  lineal 
descendant,  that  handsome  new  mansion,  looking 
like  the  king  of  all  the  villas,  recently  built  by  Mr. 
Kirkman  Finlay,  a  stately,  well-grown  edifice,  sur- 
rounded by  a  young  colony  of  trees,  tastefully 
sprinkled  all  over  the  pleasm-e  grounds,  which  look 
so  low  and  insignificant,  that  the  place  might  be 
very  appropriately  called  "  Bushy  Park."  A  large 
church  has  been  erected  near,  but  I  observed  no  vil- 
lage likely  to  furnish  an  adequate  congregation, 
though  certainly  it  is  beyond  all  ordinary  calculation, 
the  distance  from  which  Highlanders  will  assem- 
ble in  the  house  of  prayer,  and  thankfully  give  as 
much  labour  to  reap  the  bread  of  life  on  Sunday,  as 
to  earn  their  daily  food  during  the  week. 

This  evening  we  strolled  out  to  see  the  small  re- 
mains of  Rothesay  Castle,  an  ugly  old  thing,  but 
respectably  clothed  with  ivy ;  and  it  has  a  few  in- 
teresting adventures  to  relate  of  former  days,  though 
none  now  remember  its  early  grandeur,  or  mourn 
over  its  decay.  These  desolate  and  deserted  walls, 
amidst  the  storms  and  trials  of  the  world,  were  buf- 
feted once  by  tempests,  enlivened  by  sunshine, 
2* 


14  ROTHESAY. 

clouded  by  sorrow,  and  echoing  with  laughter,  but 
its  tenants  are  all  vanished, — 

'■'  the  guid,  the  great, 
And  naething  now  remains, 
But  ruin  sittin'  on  thy  wa's, 

And  crumblin'  down  the  stanes." 

Here  Robert  the  Third  died  of  a  broken  heart, 
on  account  of  his  son,  James  the  First,  having  been 
captured.  Here  Oliver  Cromwell's  troops  came  like 
a  devastating  flood  upon  the  country,  sweeping 
away  all  they  could  take  or  destroy — here  the  Earl 
of  Argyle's  brother,  in  1685,  set  fire  to  the  castle, 
burning  all  that  could  be  burned  within  it — and  here 
an  ash  tree,  recently  contrived  to  grow  on  the  sum- 
mit of  a  stone  arch,  till  the  trunk  attained  to  a  cir- 
cumference of  nine  feet,  when  it  fell  to  the  ground, 
and  after  so  long  setting  an  example  of  frugality  in 
living  without  nourishment,  it  became  a  means  of 
over-feeding  others,  having  been  cut  into  a  dining- 
table  for  George  the  Fourth. 

Within  the  Castle  we  admired  a  fine  old  thorn, 
six  feet  in  circumference,  and  forty-five  feet  high, 
which  fell  prostrate  on  the  ground  last  November, 
but  still  puts  out  a  mass  of  leaves,  as  if  the  roots 
yet  had  nourishment  from  the  ground  instead  of  the 
empty  air  in  which  they  are  up-raised,  preserving  its 
fohage  *' green  and  fresh  without,  but  worn   and 


ROTHESAY.  15 

bare  within."  Though  no  one  usually  likes  to  have 
a  thorn  in  his  side,  this  old  fortress  looks  much  the 
better  of  its  gay  leaves  and  blossoms.  During  sum- 
mer, divine  service  is  occasionally  performed  mthin 
those  roofless  walls,  where  a  numerous  congrega- 
tion assembles.  The  dissenters  must  be  rapidly  in- 
creasing at  Rothesay,  as  their  chapel  was  lately  sold 
to  the  Episcopalians,  after  which  they  erected  an- 
other three  times  as  large.  It  is  curious  to  observe, 
how  precisely  the  architecture  of  churches  may  be 
considered  characteristic  of  their  doctrines  and  mode 
of  worship — the  Roman  Catholic  edifices  being  gen- 
erally all  ornament  and  frippery,  the  established 
churches  of  England  and  Scotland  less  adorned,  and 
the  dissenters'  chapels  are  every  where  like  large 
chests,  with  a  flat  lid  on  the  top. 

Our  cicerone  through  these  ruins  was  no  less  a 
personage  than  the  jailer  of  Rothesay,  not  at  all 
resembling  the  romantic  beau-ideal  of  sternness  and 
severity  usually  ascribed  in  fiction  to  those  important 
officials,  but  more  like  the  philanthropist  Howard 
himself.  He  led  us  with  much  professional  zeal,  to 
inspect  the  remnant  of  a  dark  dungeon,  formerly 
used  for  confining  criminals,  measuring  only  ten  feet 
by  fifteen,  a  dismal  hole,  with  only  an  aperture  above, 
not  the  semblance  of  a  window,  and  containing  a 
crevice  in  the  roof,  which  served  as  a  door,  but  was 
so  narrow,  that  captives  must  all  have  been  starved 


16  MOUNT   STEWART. 

for  some  time,  till  they  were  thin  enough  to  get  in, 
and  afterwards  kept  on  spare  diet  if  they  were  ever 
intended  to  come  forth  again.  Here  our  friend  the 
jailer  expatiated  very  fully  on  the  superior  advan- 
tages enjoyed  under  his  jurisdiction ;  and,  certainly, 
that  necessary  evil,  the  county  jail,  which  we  saw, 
looks  like  Cardiff  Castle,  or  any  other  nobleman's 
residence.  No  wonder  that,  when  his  guests  have 
once  conquered  their  natural  horror  of  disgrace,  they 
frequently  return  to  the  jailer's  careful  guardianship, 
w^here  those  poor  creatures,  who  knew  not  formerly 
where  to  gain  a  dinner,  are  here  at  once  transported 
into  a  comfortable  hotel,  where  they  meet  with  kind 
treatment,  fires  in  every  room,  excellent  sleeping 
accommodation,  regular  hours,  plenty  of  food,  and 
nothing  to  pay.  Some  of  the  old  women  consider 
it  a  perfect  home,  and  would  feel  more  alarmed  at 
the  threat  of  being  turned  out,  than  of  being  shut  in. 
Next  morning  Ave  had  an  anxious  debate 
whether  to  hasten  westward,  or  to  remain  for 
a  peep  at  Mount  Stewart ;  but,  after  hearing 
counsel  on  both  sides,  the  weather  decided  the  ques- 
tion, by  looking  hopelessly  gloomy  ;  therefore  it 
seemed  more  suitable  for  land  than  for  water.  Re- 
solved, That,  not  being  obliged  to  go  1000  miles  in 
1000  hours,  we  could  spare  time  to  see  Lord  Bute's 
charming  residence  on  this  island,  which  is  quite  a 
celebrated  beauty,  and  having  ascertained  from  our 


MOUNT    STEWART.  17 

host  that  the  distance  was  only  four  miles,  an  inn- 
keeper's mile  being  always  shorter  than  any  other 
pereon's,  we  settled,  after  a  truly  Scotch  breakfast 
of  fish,  flesh,  and  fowl,  to  walk  the  w^hole  w^ay. 

It  was  a  morning  quite  on  purpose  for  the  enter- 
prise, with  neither  dust  nor  sunshine  to  render  it  fa- 
tiguing; and,  after  crossing  a  short  succession  of 
hills,  in  some  parts  as  bare  and  brow^n  as  roasted 
chestnuts,  we  were  agreeably  surprised  to  see  the 
gate  close  to  the  sea-beach,  and  flanked  by  a  very 
pretty,  prosperous  looking  \dllage,  tastefully  festoon- 
ed in  all  directions  with  fishing-nets,  and  with 
graceful  lines  of  salted  haddocks  and  whitings  bask- 
ing in  the  sun. 

When  advancing  up  the  long  and  beautiful  ap- 
proach to  Mount  Stewart,  w^here  the  trees  w^ere 
neither   few  nor  far  betw^een,  and  their   branches 

tossing  in  the  air  like  the  arms  of  Mr. when 

he  makes  a  speech,  nothing  in  Australia  could  have 
looked  more  solitary.  Not  a  mouse  w^as  stirring, 
nor  a  living  creature  visible,  to  disturb  the  deep  si- 
lence around ;  but,  for  natm^al  beauty,  it  was  impos- 
sible sufficiently  to  admire  the  prodigious  arbutusses 
and  laurels,  the  superb  evergreen  oaks,  the  long 
straight  colonades  of  trees,  the  sparkling  sea,  the 
green  isles  of  Cumbra,  and  the  bold  wooded  shores 
of  Ayrshire,  twelve  miles  distant.  From  thence  the 
church  bells  at  Largs  are  distinctly  heard  chiming 


18  MOUNT   STEWART. 

on  Sunday,  in  pleasing  unison  ^vith  the  loud  dash  of 
the  ocean,  while  the  wind  blows  a  sort  of  trumpet 
accompaniment  through  the  waving  forests;  and 
this,  with  the  warbling  of  some  hundred  birds,  must 
make  a  charming  natural  orchestra,  which  might 
find  a  ready  echo  in  every  heart. 

We  leisurely  circumnavigated  the  house  of 
Mount  Stewart,  which  is  ostensibly  protected  by  a 
park  of  artillery,  ten  real  live  cannons,  ready  for 
duty,  bristling  along  the  front ;  but,  in  spite  of  this 
formidable  defence,  I  shall  venture  to  hint,  that  the 
external  aspect  is  very  like  that  of  a  dilapidated  bar- 
rack, greatly  requiring  a  few  touches  of  the  trowel 
from  some  skilful  architect,  to  metamorphose  the 
very  plain  front  into  a  more  tasteful  exterior.  The 
only  ornaments  of  this  edifice  appeared  on  the  lead- 
en water-pipes,  which  are  each  decorated  with  eight 
coronets,  reminding  us  of  the  gouty  old  peer  in 
"  Marriage  a  la  Mode,"  who  put  a  coronet  on  his 
crutch. 

The  entrance-hall  at  Mount  Stew^art  is  con- 
verted into  a  dining-room,  and  the  door  into  a  glass 
window,  over  the  outside  of  which  is  carved,  in  stone 
characters,  this  inscription,  written  by  Prince  Charles 
w^hen  in  concealement  on  the  island  of  Bute : 

*'  Henceforth  this  Isle  to  the  afflicted  be 
A  place  of  refuge,  as  it  was  to  me  ; 
The  promises  of  blooming  spring  live  here, 
And  all  the  blessings  of  the  ripening  year." 


MOUNT   STEWART.  19 

How  much  these  hnes  might  have  gained  in  interest, 
if  the  royal  fugitive  had  only  added  any  allusion  to 
his  being  a  Christian  !  In  the  Swiss  and  German 
cottages,  a  text  or  a  sentiment  is  very  frequently  en- 
graved over  the  entrance,  intimating  the  faith  of 
their  inmates  3  and  it  was  a  good  old  custom  in  our 
own  country,  thus  to  signify  the  belief  and  hope 
reigning  within  their  w^alls,  a  magnificent  specimen 
of  which  may  be  seen  at  Temple  New^some  in  York- 
shire, W'here  a  battlement  surrounds  the  lofty  roof, 
composed  of  capital  letters,  more  than  two  feet  long, 
stancUng  up  in  full  relief  against  the  sky.  I  w^alked 
round  the  towering  w^alls  to  decipher  this  code  of 
moral  and  religious  duty,  which  has  stood  so  many 
centuries,  reminding  the  noble  proprietors  of  that 
holy  religion  in  which  their  fathers  lived  and  died : 
"  All  Glory  and  Praise  Be  Given  To  God  the 
Father,  The  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  on  High. 
Peace  upon  Earth.  Good  Will  Towards  Men. 
Honour  and  True  Allegiance  to  our  Gracious 
King.  Loving  Affections  amongst  His  Subjects. 
Health  and  Plenty  Within  This  House." 

Near  the  door  at  Mount  Stewart,  a  good- 
humoured  watch-dog  issued  from  its  kennel,  on  the 
preventive  service,  but,  except  his  rattling  chain, 
there  was  nothing^  formidable  about  him.  It  was 
otherw^ise  in  respect  to  a  large  bird,  ten  times  more 
ferocious,  which  strutted  at  large  before  the  windows. 


20  MOUNT  STEWART. 

magnificently  dressed  in  black  plumage  and  a  red 
bill.  This  American  pheasant  made  a  formidable 
assault  upon  some  visiters  lately ;  but,  heedless  of 
danger,  we  courageously  rang  the  bell  and  inquired 
if  the  pictures  were  at  home,  which  most  fortunately 
they  Avere,  and  we  obtained  an  immediate  introduc- 
tion to  an  interesting  series  of  family  portraits,  stand- 
ing in  regular  rotation,  from  the  grim,  grisly  knights 
of  ancient  days,  to  the  sleek  smiling  courtiers  of 
more  recent  years. 

Nothing  in  the  way  of  sight-seeing  interests  me 
half  so  much,  as  to  go  Paul-Prying  among  the  very 
rooms  that  have  been  inhabited  by  celebrated  per- 
sons, and  to  see  their  almost  living  representations, 
which  they  sat  for  themselves,  and  approved  of, 
each  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  reflection  of  his  own 
features,  which  now  seemed  to  gaze  upon  us  from  the 
walls  like  silent  ghosts  of  the  departed,  exhibiting 
the  very  dress  and  attitude  in  which  they  formerly 
sat  on  those  chairs  where  we  sat,  or  gazed  on  the 
surrounding  landscape  w^hich  we  were  admiring. 
This  is  history  and  romance  embodied  at  once  before 
our  eyes,  and  fills  the  mind  with  more  of  thought 
and  reflection  than  even  imaginary  or  allegorical 
painting,  which  is  the  poetry  of  that  noble  art,  and' 
affords  pleasure  of  a  totally  different  kind,  peculiarly 
to  be  enjoyed  when  it  raises  elevated  or  devotional 
feelings,  such  as  the  paintings  of  Raphael,  who  con- 


MOUNT    STEWART.  21 

secrated  his  pencil  successfully  to  sacred  objects,  de- 
claring, that  as  he  had  not  been  born  with  the  elo- 
quence of  writing  or  speaking,  he  would  "  paint  to 
the  glory  of  God." 

We  now  stood  in  a  fine  cheerful  room,  completely 
panelled  round  with  the  full-length  portraits  of  cele- 
brated personages,  each  of  whom  had  his  eyes  sol- 
emnly fixed  upon  us,  as  if  he  were  asking  what  we 
thought  of  his  appearance  and  character.  As  we 
sauntered  along  the  apartments,  every  individual  had 
some  story  or  anecdote  connected  with  his  name, 
which  had  already  made  me  have  a  sort  of  imaginary 
sketch  of  him  in  my  mind's-eye.  The  Duchess  of 
Lauderdale  appeared  first,  looking  as  disagreeable  and 
unamiable  as  she  really  was;  and  that  scourge  of 
Scotland,  her  husband,  was,  to  use  a  favomite  expres- 
sion of  young  ladies  in  the  present  day,  "  a  perfect  hor- 
ror !"  A  curious  proof  of  their  pride  may  be  seen  at 
their  splendid  residence.  Ham  House,  where  the  long 
receiving-room  has  a  raised  enclosure  at  the  farthest 
end,  calculated  only  to  hold  state  chairs  for  their  Gra- 
ces. The  grasping  and  ambitious  Duchess  had  a 
blemished  reputation,  and  was  even  suspected  of 
having  acquired  her  widow's  w^eeds  by  the  revolting 
crime  of  poisoning  the  Duke,  to  whom,  before  mar- 
riage, she  had  been  only  too  partial.  I  have  been 
told  that  a  gossiping  chronicler  of  that  period  insinu- 
ates as  much,  saying,  "  age  and  discontent  wxre  the 
3 


22  MOUNT   STEWART. 

chief  ingredients  of  his  Grace's  death,  if  the  Duchess 
and  her  physician  were  free  from  it ;  she  had  got  all 
from  him  she  could  expect,  and  was  glad  to  be  quit 
of  him."  The  fashion,  of  late  so  universal  in  India, 
of  a  widow  bui-ning  herself  with  the  body  of  her  hus- 
band, was  first  introduced  by  the  men,  because  in  any 
matrimonial  fracas,  the  ladies  were  so  apt  to  divorce 
themselves,  by  putting  a  summary  period  to  the  ex- 
istence of  their  better  half.  What  affectionate  soli- 
citude married  people  would  feel  for  each  other,  if 
we  established  the  law  mentioned  by  Sinbad  the 
Sailor,  that  even  death  itself  was  not  to  separate  a 
happy  or  unhappy  couple,  but  they  were  invariably 
to  be  bm-ied  together. 

The  Prime  Minister,  Lord  Bute,  appeared  next, 
so  like  George  the  Third,  that  they  might  have  per- 
sonated each  other.  He  was  a  patriotic  benefactor 
to  Scotland,  and  among  many  other  improvements, 
estabhshed  the  Botanical  Garden  in  Edinburgh,  and 
wrote,  after  his  retirement  from  office,  a  work  on 
British  plants,  in  nine  quarto  volumes,  of  which  he 
allowed  only  sixteen  copies  to  be  printed,  though  the 
copper-plates  cost  .£1000.  Those  book-mongers 
who  estimate  works  by  their  scarcity,  would  be  fran- 
tic to  obtain  one  of  these  rare  editions,  which  should 
be  paid  for  with  nothing  more  common  than  a  Queen 
Anne's  farthing,  or  the  shilling  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
time,  of  which  only  one  was  ever   allowed   to  be 


MOUNT    STEWART.  23 

issued,  because  the  stamp  too  faithfully  represented 
her  Majesty's  wrinkles.  The  Prime  Minister's  son 
was  so  handsome  and  so  silent,  that  when  sent  as 
Ambassador  to  Spain,  an  ill-natured  wit  of  the  day 
said  he  would  do  admirably  at  a  court  where  there 
was  little  to  say  and  nothing  to  do. 

We  admired  much  Henrietta,  Duchess  of  Orleans, 
the  beautiful  daughter  of  Charles  the  First,  a  grand 
majestic  looking  personage,  with  fine  commanding 
features,  who  shared  the  fatal  destiny  of  her  unfortu- 
nate family,  few  or  none  of  whom  died  in  a  regular 
way,  but  were  all  huiTied  out  of  the  world  by  some 
cruel  treachery  or  mischance.  She  was  suspected 
to  have  been  poisoned  by  her  own  husband  in  a  fit 
of  jealousy,  but  as  the  accusation  was  not  entirely 
proved,  a  verdict  might  then  have  been  given,  like 
that  of  the  Irish  jury  in  a  more  recent  case,  "  Not 
guilty, — ^but  he  had  better  not  do  it  again." 

In  the  dining-room  at  Mount  Stewart  hangs  a 
portrait  of  Rubens,  painted  by  himself,  but  artists  on 
such  occasions  have  it  all  their  own  way,  and  gen- 
erally make  themselves  each  a  perfect  Adonis  on 
canvass,  perhaps  what  they  wish  to  be,  rather  than 
what  they  are.  We  also  saw  a  portrait,  the  perpe- 
trator of  which  w^as  certainly  not  given  to  flatter)^', 
exhibiting  the  countenance  of  Lady  Jane  Douglas, 
so  well  known  to  the  Court  of  Session.  She  is 
dressed  in   a  magnificent  riding-habit  of  blue  and 


24  MOUNT    STEWART. 

gold,  like  an  admiral's  uniform,  which  would  have 
astonished  a  Stultz,  and  electrified  the  tournament 
itself!  The  great  law-suit  of  which  Lady  Jane  was 
at  all  events  the  mother,  had  a  curious  effect  on  the 
society  of  Lanarkshire,  where  the  two  families  of 
Hamilton  and  Douglas  became  naturally  at  enmity, 
and  in  the  public  meetings,  each  party  stood  at 
opposite  ends  of  the  room,  surrounded  by  their  re- 
spective friends,  and  watching  with  jealousy  the 
least  suspicion  of  attention  to  their  adversaries. 

We  were  much  entertained  with  a  droll  animated 
picture  of  the  great  Lord  Bute's  three  eldest  daugh- 
ters, all  pretty,  playing  at  romps  in  a  garden,  and 
equipped  for  the  occasion  in  rich  satin  dresses,  lace 
aprons,  sleeves  a  la  Carsan,  and  bodies  to  their 
frocks,  apparently  tighter  than  any  stays.  This  has 
narrowly  escaped  being  a  good  picture,  and  was  the 
more  interesting,  as  all  these  three  Graces  made 
very  illustrious  marriages.  One  became  Countess 
of  Percy,  who,  after  fifteen  years'  unhappiness,  had 
her  marriage  annulled ;  another  Countess  of  Lons- 
dale, and  the  third  Countess  of  Macartney,  wife  of 
the  Ambassador  to  China.  Not  one  of  these  three 
sisters  had  children. 

The  second  lady's  husband  succeeded  a  distant 
cousin,  and  got  the  estate  without  the  title,  but  hav- 
ing the  command  of  several  votes  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  applied  to  "  the  elder  Pliny,  Lord  Chat- 


MOUNT   STEWART.  25 

ham,"  that  the  family  honours  might  be  contimi- 
ed  to  himself,  and,  on  being  refused,  merely  an- 
swered in  a  threatening  tone,  "  We  are  seven." 
This  argument  produced  the  desired  effect  at  that 
time,  and  in  the  present  day  it  would  have  got  him 
a  dukedom. 

We  were  perfectly  captivated  by  Kneller's  por- 
trait of  the  beautiful,  witty,  but  cold-hearted  and  un- 
amiable  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu.  It  is  love- 
liness personified,  with  an  earnest,  intense  expres- 
sion of  countenance  like  life  itself  No  wonder 
that  Pope  lost  his  wits,  great  as  they  w^ere,  at  the 
sight  of  that  countenance,  animated  with  humour, 
intellect,  grace,  and  vivacity,  w^hen  the  mere  lifeless 
representation  is  so  beyond  a  poet's  dream.  Her 
hair  is  unpowdered,  and  so  carelessly  dressed,  she 
seems  to  have  passed  her  fingers  through  it  only  a 
minute  before.  No  ornament  disfigures  her  simple 
attire  of  rich  white  satin,  and  she  carries  in  her  hand 
a  book  with  golden  clasps,  very  hke  a  Bible,  though 
the  probability  is  rather  against  its  having  been  one, 
unless  merely  carried  for  effect,  like  those  you  have 
seen  used  by  ladies  of  fashion  in  London,  set  wath 
clasps  of  turquoises  and  gold,  as  ornamental  appen- 
dages to  a  dressing  table, 

Where  files  of  pins  extend  their  shining  rows, 
Rouge,  ringlets,  patches,  Bibles,  billet-doux. 

3* 


26  MOUNT   STEWART. 

In  the  dining-room  hangs  a  beautiful  mirror, 
presented  by  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu  to  her 
daughter,  Lady  Bute,  quite  an  old  historical  piece  of 
furniture,  which  is  perfectly  unique,  the  surface  be- 
ing painted  nearly  all  over  with  wreaths  of  roses 
and  lilies,  so  that  the  glass  only  appears  in  patches, 
as  if  real  flowers  were  strewed  upon  water.  Lady 
Maiy's  grand-daughter,  Lady  Macartney,  seems  to 
have  inherited  none  of  her  beauty,  but  she  may  veiy 
well  have  been  more  amiable.  The  attitude  of  her 
picture  is  uncommon,  as  she  appears  in  a  white 
mushn  dressing-gown,  and  with  a  black  ribbon 
drawn  so  tightly  round  her  throat,  that  it  choked 
me  to  look  at  her.  She  has  her  finger  inserted, 
with  an  e\ident  desire  to  loosen  this  uncomfortable 
bow-string,  which  the  Thug  himself  need  scarcely 
have  tightened.  It  reminded  us  of  the  poor  man  in 
Yorkshire,  who  some  years  ago  had  epileptic  fits  ; 
and  his  widow  told  a  friend,  "her  husband  could 
not  die,  poor  man,  though  he  struggled  so  frightfully, 
till  at  last  she  took  a  clean  piece  of  tape,  and  twitch- 
ed it  round  his  neck,  when  he  went  off  as  quiet  as  a 
lamb." 

A  droll,  fantastic-looking  picture  of  Lady  Mary 
Menzies  ser\^ed  as  a  curious  memorial  of  fashions 
long  since  extinct,  with  her  little  pink  hat  whimsi- 
cally perched  on  one  side  of  her  head,  a  pink  velvet 
habit,  and  such  a  waist !  a  sharp  east  wind  would 


MOUNT    STEWART.  27 

have  cut  her  in  two !  She  has  a  shepherdess's  crook 
and  a  pet  lamb  beside  her ;  but  if  all  that  is  said  be 
true,  a  pack  of  cards  would  have  been  more  appro- 
priate, as  many  acres  in  Perthshire  changed  hands 
through  her  shuffling  and  dealing.  She  was  sister 
to  the  Prime  Minister,  and  had  no  family. 

Ladies  long  ago  exhibited  more  peculiarities  of 
character  than  now,  when  the  stamp  of  nature  is 
polished  off,  like  a  W' ell-worn  shilling,  and  all  seem 
exactly  alike ;  but  among  those  we  saw  on  canvass 
here,  none  interested  my  curiosity  more  than  the 
beautiful  and  eccentric  Duchess  of  Queensberry,  who 
had  a  strange  delight  in  going  about  incog.,  hke 
Haroun  Alarschid,  dressed  frequently  as  a  dairy- 
maid ;  and  in  this  portrait  her  costume  is  very  little 
above  that  of  a  house-maid.  A  whimsical  proof  of 
her  skill  in  tormenting  was  shown  when  country 
neighbours  came  equipped  in  their  very  best  dresses 
to  Aisit  her  Grace.  She  decoyed  them  out  along 
the  dirtiest  roads,  wearing  her  own  cottage  costmne, 
and  making  the  whole  party  sit  down  occasionally 
on  any  damp  grass  or  mouldy  walls  that  seemed  most 
certain  to  ruin  their  finery.  No  fictitious  tragedy 
could  be  more  melancholy  than  that  in  which  her 
manoemTcs  involved  the  Marquis  of  Drmnlanrig,  her 
son,  who  was  engaged  to  marry  a  veiy  lovely  and 
estimable  young  lady ;  but  the  Duchess  contrived  to 
intercept  their  letters,  persuaded  the  disappointed 


28  MOUNT   STEWART. 

lover,  during  a  prolonged  absence,  that  Miss  Mackay 
had  actually  married  another,  and  hurried  him  into 
a  union  with  the  lady  her  Grace  preferred.  Imme- 
diately afterwards  the  Marquis  met  the  object  of  his 
earliest  choice,  and  discovered  the  cruel  deception 
his  mother  had  practised  upon  him.  On  a  journey 
with  his  bride,  scarcely  three  months  after  their 
union,  he  shot  himself,  and  the  widowed  Marchio- 
ness did  not  long  survive.  No  excuse  can  be  plead- 
ed for  the  Dutchess,  unless  the  report  be  true  that 
she  was  confined  during  some  part  of  her  youth  in 
a  strait  jacket.  Miss  Mackay  afterwards  became 
Mrs.  Macleod  of  Talisher,  in  Skye ;  and  an  old  cler- 
gy-man there,  in  describing  her  to  me,  observed,  that 
she  had  become  one  of  the  most  admirable  women 
in  her  time,  "  fit  not  merely  to  have  been  a  Dutch- 
ess, but  an  Empress." 

There  are  two  fine  gardens  at  Mount  Stewart, 
one  for  use,  and  the  other  for  ornament.  In  the 
kitchen  garden,  the  apricots  and  turnips  seemed  to 
promise  equally  well ;  and  we  discovered  one  fig 
tree,  with  about  two  hundred  figs,  while  others  close 
by,  with  the  same  advantages,  bore  nothing  but 
leaves,  forming  an  excellent  exemplification  of  the 
text,  "  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  It  is 
an  interesting  remark  of  Bishop  Hall's,  that  our  Sa- 
viour, after  exhibiting  so  many  miracles  of  mercy  to 
mankind  on  earth,  chose  at  last  to  exemphfy  the 


MOUNT   STEW^ART.  29 

future  vengeance  of  God  against  sinners,  not  upon  a 
living  man,  but,  with  characteristic  goodness,  he 
cursed  only  a  tree. 

•  We  could  not  catch  a  cicerone  anywhere,  to  do 
the  honours  of  the  fruit  and  vegetables,  till  at  last 
a  boy  of  fourteen  appeared,  smoking  his  pipe ;  and 
he  seemed  to  have  smoked  away  any  brains  he  ever 
had,  being  most  incomparably  stupid.  I  once  heard 
a  patriotic  Scotch  gentleman  exclaim,  when  he  had 
applied  to  several  persons  in  vain  for  information, 
"  These  people  are  as  stupid  as  if  they  were  Eng- 
lish !"  but  this  juvenile  smoker  knew  nothing  about 
anything,  and  would  have  been  disowned  in  every 
country.  He  was  fit  for  no  better  employment  than 
to  sit  under  a  gooseberry  bush  with  his  pipe,  smoking 
the  caterpillars  to  death.  The  boy  was  lazily  doing 
what  I  suppose  he  called  work ;  but  it  made  me  sad 
to  see  a  habit  acquired  at  so  early  an  age,  which 
vdll  rob  him  in  after  years  of  health,  money,  and 
time.  I  wish  King  James  <  "  Counterblast  against 
Tobacco"  were  republished!  How  invariably  we 
see,  in  every  village,  the  little  shop-board  advertising 
"  Tea,  snufF,  and  tobacco,"  those  three  ruinous  lux- 
uries of  the  poor,  on  the  more  moderate  use  of  which 
it  would  be  well  if  divines  would  occasionally  both 
write  and  preach.  About  je60,000  is  annually  re- 
ceived in  Aberdeenshire  for  black  cattle,  and  a  sim- 
ilar sum  is  every  year  expended  in  that  comity  on 


30  MOUNT   STEWART. 

tobacco  and  snuff!  The  very  flies  must  be  sneezing 
as  they  go  al  )ng !  Few  people  are  aware  to  what 
a  frightful  excess  the  vice  of  opium  eating  has  ex- 
tended lately  in  this  countiy,  and  how  rapidly  it  is 
increasing,  both  in  England  and  Scotland.  I  could 
name  one  apothecary's  shop,  where  inmmierable 
small  packets,  costing  only  a  penny,  of  this  perni- 
cious drug,  are  prepared  every  night,  and  where  a 
crowd  of  the  wretched  purchasers,  many  of  them 
women,  glide  silently  up  to  the  counter,  deposit  the 
price,  and  without  uttering  a  word,  steal  away  like 
criminals,  to  plunge  themselves  into  a  temporary  de- 
lirium, followed  by  those  agonies  of  mind  and  body 
by  which  both  are  at  last  distorted  and  ruined.  We 
have  all  read  the  English  Opium-Eater's  Confessions, 
w^ho  took  laudanum  toddy  after  dinner  for  his  re- 
freshment !  The  fascinations  of  this  drug  are  like 
those  of  the  snake,  whose  victims  see  their  impend- 
ing destruction,  and  yet  cannot  resist  the  fatal  im- 
pulse to  go  on — an  affecting  instance  of  which  is 
the  well-known  anecdote  of  Coleridge  entreating  that 
his  friends  would  place  him  in  a  mad-house  as  his 
only  hope  of  being  cured ;  and  few  are  capable  of 
a  high  moral  and  religious  effort,  such  as  that  emi- 
nent man  successfully  made,  to  rescue  himself  from 
the  destmctive  propensity,  afterwards  using  those  af- 
fecting expressions,  "  I  feel  wdth  an  intensity  un- 
fathomable by  words,  my  utter  nothingness,  impo- 


MOUNT   STEWART.  31 

tence,  and  worthlessness,  in  and  for  myself.  I  have 
learned  what  a  sin  is  against  an  infinite,  imperisha- 
ble being,  such  as  is  the  soul  of  man.  I  have  had 
more  than  a  glimpse  of  what  is  meant  by  death,  and 
outer  darkness,  and  the  worm  that  dieth  not ;  and 
that  all  the  hell  of  the  reprobate  is  no  more  incon- 
sistent with  the  love  of  God  than  the  blindness  of 
one  who  ■  as  occasioned  disease  to  eat  out  his  eyes 
is  inconsistent  with  the  light  of  the  sun." 

The  flower-garden  at  Mount  Stew^art,  nearly  a 
mile  distant  from  the  house,  is  situated  on  a  very- 
picturesque,  irregular  piece  of  ground,  inclining 
towards  the  sea,  and  you  will  think  I  am  copying  a 
page  out  of  some  fairy  tale,  when  you  read  a  des- 
cription of  it.  No  shop  for  artificial  flowers  could 
look  more  brilliantly  gay ;  and  the  richly  adorned 
beds  of  roses  and  other  blooming  plants,  were  each 
like  one  of  Madame  Devis's  boxes  from  Paris.  A 
gigantic  family  of  native  silver  firs  are  ranged  in  tall 
majestic  solemnity  around  the  gay  foreigners,  which 
form  a  curious  contrast.  Exotics  scarcely  to  be 
reared  by  those  who  have  a  green-house  elsewhere, 
flourish  in  this  garden,  as  if  they  mistook  Bute  for 
the  tropics,  and  seem  to  find  no  difficulty  in  accom- 
modating themselves  to  the  chmate.  Cape  heaths 
flower  luxuriantly  in  the  open  air,  remaining  out  all 
winter,  as  well  as  standard  plants  of  the  magnolia 
grandiflora,  which  have  risen  to  the  height  of  eighteen 


32  MOUNT    STEWART. 

or  twenty  feet.  Myrtles  blossom  here  like  ha^i;horn 
trees,  sweet  almonds  ripen,  geraniums  are  on  fire  with 
scarlet  flowers,  fuschias  and  camellias  have  been  en- 
listed among  the  hardy  plants,  and  we  observed  two 
cork  trees  very  thriving,  so  that  the  noble  proprietor 
might  not  only  have  a  yearly  vintage,  but  also  grow 
his  own  corks.  In  short,  it  seems  as  if  that  which 
flowers  once  a  year  elsewhere,  blossoms  twice  here, 
and  what  grows  six  feet  high  in  other  places  of  the 
empire,  grows  twelve  feet  high  in  this  more  favoured 
spot. 

The  gardener  displayed  with  some  exultation  an 
Arabian  acacia,  which  had,  he  said,  "  wdntered  out 
the  winter ;"  likewise  Russian  cranberries,  yielding 
two  crops  every  year,  and  the  American  andromeda, 
bearing  large  white  w^ax  or  ivory  bells,  and  giving 
out  a  charming  aromatic  perfume ;  but  nothing  is 
so  difficult  to  describe  or  remember  as  a  scent,  so 
you  must  try  to  fancy  it.  The  arbutus  is  in  fruit  all 
the  year;  the  American  honeysukcle  is  a  superb 
plant,  bearing  fruit  like  a  cherry,  which  is,  however,  a 
deadly  poison  ;  the  arbor  vitae  was  covered  still  with 
the  withered  blossoms  of  last  summer,  and  the  orange 
trees  here  might  have  formed  a  grove  worthy  of 
Seville  or  Malta.  Though  they  belong  to  a  Tory, 
the  oranges  are  allowed  to  wear  their  own  Whig 
colour,  not  being  treated  like  those  at  a  Conservative 
dinner  last  year,  where  they  were  all  painted  blue ! 


MOUNT   STEWART.  33 

It  was  curious,  instead  of  being  ushered  into  a 
steaming  hot-house,  where  the  plants  and  ourselves 
would  have  been  in  a  high  fever,  thus  to  visit,  in  the 
free  open  air,  representatives  from  so  many  soils, 
America,  Russia,  China,  Arabia,  Spain,  and  the 
Cape,  all  vying  in  splendour  and  beauty,  and  this 
whole  garden,  containing  four  acres  of  charming, 
undulating  ground,  is  kept  in  first-rate  order  by  one 
clever,  communicative,  civil  man,  who  said  he  laid 
it  out  himself,  dming  the  former  Marquis's  time,  and 
without  having  ever  allowed  a  single  individual  to 
assist,  has  reared  every  one  of  these  plants  !  Such 
a  garden  would  be  cheap  at  any  salary,  doing  the 
work  of  at  least  four  ordinary  men !  His  fancy  has 
been  indulged  in  some  odd  devices,  and  among  oth- 
ers, the  rosary  is  laid  out  like  a  wheel,  at  every 
spoke  of  which  stands  a  gate,  so  that  it  seemed  ex- 
actly on  the  plan  of  John  O'Groat's  house,  with 
eight  entrances. 

In  the  garden  we  really  had  a  perfect  carnival 
of  birds  as  well  as  of  flowers.  It  was  quite  a  bird 
concert,  and  one  little  songster  poured  out  such  a 
flood  of  harmony,  that,  if  not  a  nightingale  he  de- 
served to  be  one.  Neither  Pasta  nor  Rubini  have 
a  shake  to  compare  with  him !  What  a  saving  of 
labour  it  would  be,  if  we  were  all  born  ready  taught 
musicians  as  birds  are,  instead  of  ladies  being  bound 
apprentices  to  music  for  nine  good  years  of  life,  that 
4 


34  MOUNT    STEWART. 

they  may  learn  to  play  perplexing  tunes  with  im- 
possible variations,  carefully  acquiring  "  nimble  fin- 
gers and  vacant  understandings."  It  has  been  quite 
a  calamity  to  the  middle  classes,  that  every  farmer's 
daughter  now  must  indispensably  learn  jingling,  for 
it  cannot  be  called  music  when  played  on  such 
cheap  pianos  as  they  can  afford,  tuned  only  once 
a  year,  and  sounding  at  best  like  a  poker  and  tongs. 
Poor  Strauss  and  Rosini !  I  was  amused  to  hear 
lately  of  a  music  master,  unable  to  endure  indifferent 
scholars,  who  taught  on  dumb  piano-fortes,  and  only 
treated  his  pupils  to  audible  ones  when  they  played 
so  as  to  afford  him  pleasure,  which  in  some  cases 
would  be  never.  I  called  some  years  since  at  a  farm- 
house, built,  like  all  its  cotemporaries,  on  a  scale  out 
of  proportion  to  the  rent.  There  the  young  "  ladies" 
had  left  their  milk-pails  to  practise  the  Swiss  Ranz 
des  Vaches,  and  played  "  Corn-riggs,"  instead  of 
cutting  them ;  but  it  was  an  amusing  mixture  in  the 
large  empty  unfurnished  drawing-room,  to  see  a 
piano-forte  standing  at  one  end,  and  a  pile  of  carrots 
and  turnips  at  the  other.  Our  obliging  cicerone,  the 
gardener  at  Mount  Stewart,  was  rather  ad  libitum  in 
his  pronunciation  of  names,  and  when  showing  us 
a  very  beautiful  peony  tree,  he  remarked  that  it 
produced  every  season  a  great  many  "  fine  pianos !" 
Several  of  the  walks  at  Mount  Stewart  are  quite 
blockaded  with  trees,  so  thickly  leaved,  they  might 


MOUNT    STEWART.  35 

pass  for  hay-cocks.  Some  rise  to  a  very  gigantic 
height,  and  we  saw  one  with  fifty  feet  of  clear  stem, 
before  the  branches  were  set  on,  and  many  have 
ingeniously  contrived  to  flourish  in  a  glen  where 
they  never  saw  the  sun  in  their  lives.  In  one  ave- 
nue, beneath  the  "  pillared  shade"  of  some  tall  cathe- 
dral-like beeches,  there  lives  a  numerous  colony  of 
herons,  whose  habits  of  life  are  most  amusing  to 
watch.  I  have  always  envied  that  man  in  the  Ara- 
bian nights,  who  understood  the  language  of  the 
animal  w^orld,  and  certainly  they  do  act  with  so 
much  appearance  of  unity  and  design  that  they  must 
have  some  mode  of  communication  unperceived  by  us. 

"  We  need  not  ask  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau 
If  birds  confabulate  or  no !" 

In  the  forest  sanctuaries  here,  I  wished  myself  a 
botanist !  The  grass  is  a  living  carpet  of  wild  flowers, 
including  a  whole  Flora  Britannica  of  blue  bells,  or- 
chusses,  hyacynths,  periw^inkles,  cowslips,  veronicas, 
w^ood  sorrel,  wuld  geraniiuns,  and  the  gay  white 
flower  of  the  w^ild  leek,which  sent  forth  its  perfume  far 
and  wide  wdth  a  fragrance  so  disagreeably  pow^erfal, 
as  to  make  me  w^onder  less  than  formerly  at  the  lady 
w^ho  cut  off*  her  husband's  thumbs  for  eating  garlic. 
The  poor  people  collect  this  weed  in  great  quantities 
to  flavour  their  "  excellent  family  broth." 

Our  paragon  ofgardeners  became  so  zealous  about 
parading  us  over  the  grounds  that  he  sacrificed  his 


36  MOUNT   STEWART. 

dinner  in  the  cause,  and  very  near  sacrificed  his  child 
also.  A  Kttle  helpless  dot  of  a  thing  accompanied 
us  about  half  the  distance,  but  when  a  longer  pere- 
grination was  projected,  he  desired  the  poor  infant  to 
find  his  own  way  home,  which  I  sincerely  hope  he  did. 
We  walked  back  towards  Rothesay,  by  a  circuit- 
ous path  along  the  sea-shore,  and  were  astonished  to 
see  a  crescent  of  villas  nearly  the  whole  way  along, 
in  every  variety  of  shape,  size,  and  dimension,  but 
all  with  considerable  pretensions  to  magnificence. 
Lord  Alvanley  once  remarked  that  the  chief  wonder 
of  Doncaster  races  was,  to  see  several  hundred  men 
of  j£5000  a-year,  whom  no  one  had  ever  heard  of 
before,  and,  I  felt  somewhat  similarly  astonished  at 
the  affluence  of  Bute !  If  any  one  wishes  to  be 
rich, — and  some  people  really  do, — let  me  recom- 
mend him  to  become  a  Glasgow  architect,  as  the 
rage  for  villaing  fifty  miles  west  of  that  city  is  quite 
incredible,  owing  to  the  number  of  retiring  shop- 
keepers, who  wish  to  indulge  their  rural  propensities, 
and,  as  the  old  song  says,  "  to  sit  upon  benches  and 
sleep  upon  roses."  At  Glasgow  it  is  quite  a  pecu- 
liarity to  be  poor.  The  first  mansion  pointed  out 
for  our  admiration,  belonged  to  a  ci-devant  dealer 
in  snuff  and  tobacco,  who  has  hit  off  a  house  quite 
in  the  style  of  a  snufF-box,  being  a  low  oblong 
square  with  a  flat  hd  on  the  top,  and  a  precipitous 
hill  which  rises  behind  has  been  divided  by  walls 


37 

into  an  appearance  exactly  resembling  the  shelves 
of  a  shop.  A  retired  builder  testified  his  grateful 
attachment  to  stone  and  mortar,  by  enclosing  him- 
self within  so  lofty  a  wall,  that  I  mistook  his  villa 
for  a  mad-house;  and  a  third,  belonging  to  a 
wealthy  calico  printer,  had  the  walls  richly  flowered 
with  a  showy  pattern  of  roses,  and  the  windows 
fringed  with  leaves, 

rather  fine  than  neat ; 

And  guests  politely  call  his  house  a  seat. 

In  the  evening  we  drove  thi'ee  miles  through  the 
narrow  by-ways  and  almost  trackless  fields,  to  visit 
Kean  the  actor's  cottage,  beautifully  situated  on  Loch 
Fad,  a  charming  fresh  water  lake,  three  miles  long, 
as  blue  and  serene  as  the  sky  overhead,  and  sur- 
rounded by  noble  hills,  natural  wood,  and  magnifi- 
cent evergreens.  It  was  a  singular  freak  for  a  pub- 
lic character,  who  so  long  heard  the  plaudits  of 
London  ringing  in  his  ears,  to  bury  himself  in  a  sol- 
itude so  remote,  sequestered,  and  inaccessible,  where 
he  was  beyond  the  reach  of  audiences,  clubs,  rail- 
roads, steam-boats,  or  even  carriages  ;  but  I  suppose 
he  felt  oppressed  with  a  sense  of  conspicuousness, 
like  a  certain  authoress,  whose  biographer  describes 
her  complaining,  that  she  was  "  wearied  of  the  glare 
and  dust  of  her  own  celebrity  !  hlasee  with  fades 
flatteries  !  pursued  by  adulation,  and  perplexed  how 
to  bury  her  fame  !  The  cottages  that  look  best  in 
4* 


38  kean's  cottage. 

landscape  paintings,  and  describe  charmingly  in 
poetry,  are  not  the  most  enjoyable  for  living  in, 
therefore  Kean  sacrificed  the  picturesque  for  good 
solid  brick-and-mortar  comfort,  not  even  indulging 
our  eyes  with  a  thatched  roof,  but  substituting  a 
vSteep,  ugly,  substantial  canopy  of  slates,  which  put 
to  flight  our  most  romantic  anticipations,  while  the 
large,  square,  matter-of-fact  windows,  gave  a  last 
finish  to  its  ugliness. 

Over  the  gate  he  placed  his  own  marble  bust, 
by  Thom,  surrounding  it  with  the  monumental  like- 
nesses of  those  whom  he  justly  considered  kindred 
spirits,  Garrick,  Massinger,  and  Shakspeare.  Like 
the  bard  of  Avon,  Kean  planted  a  mulberry  tree 
in  his  garden,  which  grew  and  flourished,  an  object 
of  the  greatest  interest  and  gratification,  till  one 
fatal  morning,  when,  from  the  A\'indow  of  his 
dressing-room,  he  observed  an  old  man's  cow 
devouring  the  precious  plant !  Without  waiting  to 
complete  his  toilette,  he  instantly  dashed  off  a  letter 
to  the  factor  of  the  property,  complaining  vehe- 
mently of  this  trespass,  and  offering  so  exaggerated 
a  rent  for  the  field  in  which  this  offending  animal 
had  hitherto  pastured,  that  the  original  tenant  got 
a  hint  to  retire.  This  hasty  transaction,  however, 
raised  the  expense  of  his  pleasure-grounds  so  ex- 
ceedingly, that  his  successor  did  not  serve  himself 
heir  to  the   little  property,  which  lapsed  into  Lord 


39 

Bute's  possession,  and  is  now  tenanted  by  Mr. 
Newman,  who  mentioned  that  the  whole  rent  he 
pays  is  not  equal  to  what  Kean  gave  for  that  one 
field.  The  drawdng-room  walls  are  decorated  with 
a  Swiss  paper  exhibiting  theatrical  designs  for 
tragedies  and  comedies,  warriors  fighting,  lovers 
.  loverizing,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  stage  effect. 
Here  Kean  sometimes  treated  his  unsophisticated 
neighbours  at  Rothesay  to  a  few  dramatic  scenes, 
w^hich  in  London  would  have  drawn  mobs,  and 
there  attracted  as  large  a  crowd  as  Bute  could 
furnish;  but,  before  long,  he  tired  of  rural  felicit}-, 
and  forsook  his  hermitage  to  seek  happiness  where 
it  never  can  be  found, — amidst  the  noisy  plaudits  of 
a  crowded  theatre,  and  in  scenes  that  his  better 
feelings  condemned. 

One  of  the  villas  which  attracts  most  notice 
near  Rothesay  at  present,  is  that  in  which  Lady 
Kintore's  servants  were  so  terrified  last  year,  by 
"supernatural  noises."  They  refused  at  last  to 
remain ;  but  I  never  saw  any  house  less  suited  for 
an  apparition,  as  ghosts  generally  perform  their 
parts  wdth  suitable  scenery  and  decorations,  in  some 
old  tumble-down  castle,  but  this  is  quite  an  imro- 
mantic,  every-day,  modern  edifice,  perfectly  unfit 
for  the  marvellous,  yet  here,  last  season,  were 
French  abigails  and  London  butlers  all  in  a  panic, 
magistrates  taking  depositions,  masons  pulling  down 
the  partitions,   and   every  thing,  in  short,  got  up, 


40 

quite  in  the  Cocklane  ghost  style,  till  at  length  a 
mysterious  knocking  in  the  walls  proving  quite 
incorrigible,  the  inmates  all  departed,  leaving  the 
ghosts  to  themselves,  rent-free.  When  people  once 
become  thoroughly  wound  up  to  a  belief  in  the 
supernatural,  I  believe  their  agonies  when  alone  at 
night  are  such,  that  it  would  be  a  relief  to  see  even  a 
real  live  robber,  wdth  a  pistol  at  your  head,  threaten- 
ing to  shoot  you ;  and  some  of  the  good  folks  on 
this  occasion  appear  to  have  been  almost  in  that 
state,  though  perhaps  the  servants,  wearied  of 
living  so  retired  in  Bute,  knew  more  about  the 
matter  than  they  chose  to  acknowledge.  Another 
house,  situated  in  Aberdeenshire,  perplexed  the 
inhabitants  this  year  in  a  similar  manner,  scarcely 
to  be  out-done  even  by  the  case  of  Wesley's  par- 
sonage at  Gainsbro'.  The  kitchen  dresser  jerked 
about  in  a  most  unearthly  manner,  the  meat  bolted 
out  of  the  pans,  the  plates  were  unaccountably 
hurled  on  the  floor,  and  the  very  bread  would  not 
lie  still  in  an  ordinary  business-like  way  to  be  eaten, 
but  skipped  about  as  if  it  had  been  possessed.  The 
parish  clergyman  was  actually  twice  summoned  to 
officiate  in  laying  those  unsettled  spirits,  and  accord- 
ingly he  used  his  best  endeavoius,  which  had  the 
happiest  effect  in  most  cases,  but  one  unruly  mustard- 
pot,  I  am  told,  continues  to  dance  about  in  a  most 
supernatural  manner,  to  the  awe  and  astonishment 
of  all  beholders.     It  must  certainly  be  cracked ! 


BUTE.  41 

We  are  now  preparing  to  leave  Rothesay  and 
the  six  thousand  inhabitants  of  Bute,  with  much 
esteem  and  regret,  after  having  seen  more  of  the 
island,  during  a  two  days'  residence,  than  some  of 
our  friends  during  as  many  summers ;  but  strangers 
in  any  place  make  a  point  of  seeing  it  thoroughly, 
while  residents  put  off,  what  can  be  at  any  time 
done,  from  day  to  day,  till  "^e  hon  temps  est  passe, '^ 
besides  which,  they  gradually  get  into  such  regular 
tread-mill  habits,  that  the  effort  would  be  intolera- 
bly troublesome,  to  stray,  for  any  inducement,  beyond 
their  customary  beat!  Now  for  a  moral  reflection! 
I  see  it  temptingly  before  me,  ready  to  fill  up  this 
vacant  corner  in  my  paper  ;  but  you  have  made  one 
already,  for  who  has  not  experienced,  in  more 
important  things,  the  evil  of  delay,  and  the  power 
of  habit? 

Did  you  ever  hear  of  the  Irishman  who  men- 
tioned that  he  had  read  Johnson's  Dictionary  straight 
through,  and  thought  it  interesting,  though  rather 
unconnected?  Now,  my  letter  will  be  perfectly 
satisfied  if  you  pronounce  as  favourable  a  verdict  on 
its  merits,  seeing  there  is  no  visible  hook  and  eye 
to  connect  the  parts  together ;  but  you  may  safely 
take  up  the  pages,  or  lay  them  down  at  any  place, 
without  fear  of  losing  the  thread,  as  there  really  is 
none,  and  the  sooner  you  answer  this  the  better, 
telhng  me  all  about  every  body,  and  a  great  deal 
besides.     I  should  like  to  be  "  pursued,"  like  Mrs. 


42  BUTE. 

Hemans,  by  "  a  Maelstrom  of  letters,"  till  my  desk 
"boils  over;"  and  no  autograph  can  be  more  pre- 
cious to  any  collector,  than  yours  is  to  your  affec- 
tionate cousin  and  sincere  admirer, ;  there,  by 

the  way,  is  a  turn  quite  in  the  old  school,  for  all 
letters  ended  long  ago  by  the  writer  bringing  in  his 
name  with  a  neat  sweep,  making  it  part  of  the 
sentence.  We  see  this  successfully  achieved  by  that 
model  of  formal  letter-writers,  Mrs.  Montague,  and 
ditto  Pope,  Madame  de  Sevigne,  and  all  the  staiidard 
WTiters  of  those  literary  days.  That  fashion  is,  how- 
ever, now  exploded,  but  not,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  the 
fulsome  adulation  \vith  which  all  authors,  in  all 
ages,  past,  present,  and  to  come,  even  Christians ! 
have  bespattered  each  other,  exchanging  panegyrics 
like  any  other  article  of  barter,  dealing  out  flattery 
by  the  ounce,  and  receiving  back  compliments  by 
the  hundred- weight.  You  are  scarcely  a  "  licensed 
hawker,"  not  being  yet  in  the  press,  but  only  print 
a  single  sonnet,  and  the  shades  of  Grey  and  Gold- 
smith shall  be  invoked  to  hail  a  kindred  spirit,  or 
called  on,  if  you  like  the  dose  stronger,  to  "hide 
their  diminished  heads."  What  a  strange  state  the 
world  must  have  been  in  before  writing  w^as  in- 
vented! I  have  often  wondered  how  the  ancient 
patriarchs  passed  their  time,  living  several  hundred 
years  without  books,  letters,  manufactures,  shops, 
or  even  money,  for  the  world  would  fall  into  a 
perfect  stagnation  now  without  them  all. 


KYLES  OF  BUTE. 


WRITTEN   IN   HALF-A-DOZEN    PLACES. 

Let  the  lily  of  France  in  luxuriance  wave, 
Let  the  shamrock  of  Erin  its  beaut}'-  maintain 
Let  the  rose  of  fair  England  still  waft  its  perfume, 
But  the  thistle  of  Scotia  will  dearest  remain 

My  DEAR  Cousin, — The  best  moralists  have  found 
out,  that,  if  our  duties  are  to  be  well  performed,  we 
must  convert  them  into  pleasures,  and  accordingly  I 
have  performed  that  happy  transformation,  in  respect 
to  keeping  up  our  correspondence,  which  is  so  much 
more  a  pleasure  than  a  duty,  that  if  the  custom  of 
letter-writing  had  not  been  established  before  our 
time,  I  should  certainly  have  invented  it  to-day,  in 
order  to  make  you  a  partaker  in  scenes  of  delight 
and  admiration,  which  would  soon  fade  away 
entirely  from  my  own  recollection,  like  the  bright 
colours  of  twilight,  melting  into  darkness  and  obli- 
vion, but  for  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  me,  to 
record  the  flitting  impressions  of  the  moment,  hot 
and  hot  as  they  occur. 

The  Romantic  Kyles  of  Bute,  celebrated  for 
their  rugged  magnificence,  are  frequently  compared 
to  the  Rhine,  but,  in  my  opinion,  decidedly  superior. 


44  KYLES   OF    BUTE. 

Never  having  yet  steamed  down  that  far-famed 
river,  some  matter-of-fact  persons  might  be  apt  to 
consider  my  authority  questionable,  but  you  v^dll  be 
as  ready  to  stand  up  for  Scotland  as  myself,  seeing 
we  are  like  the  actors  in  the  Critic,  "  when  we  do 
agree,  our  unanimity  is  wonderful."  I  have  heard 
many  travellers,  after  an  impartial  examination  of 
both,  however,  pronounce  their  verdict  in  favour  of 
our  own  scenery,  on  account  of  the  many  beautiful 
residences  on  the  banks.  The  Frith  of  Clyde  is 
a  hard-working  arm  of  the  sea,  every  drop  of  its 
w^aters  being  on  duty  daily,  in  the  boilers  of  those 
innumerable  steam-boats  which  ply  incessantly  on 
its  widely- extended  surface,  all  moving  miracles  of 
fire  and  w^ater,  in  one  of  w^hich  we  proceeded  west- 
ward, through  scenery  that  has  few  equals  in  the 
world.  At  every  turn,  the  mountains  seemed  to 
close  round  us  like  those  that  stopped  the  career  of 
Captain  Ross,  and  we  were  imprisoned  within  a 
circular  barrier  of  wooded  and  rocky  hills,  w^ith  "  the 
blue  above,  and  the  blue  below,"  but  the  narrow  sea 
still  found  its  ownway  outof  the  labyrinth,  and  carried 
us  along  with  it,  through  a  maze  of  beautiful  old 
castles,  villas,  and  villages,  all  sprinkled  about  by 
the  finger  of  taste,  and  looking  their  very  best,  under 
a  bright  glowing  sunshine.  I  should  like  to  live  a 
hundred  summers,  equally  divided  among  the  hun- 
dred places  w^e  passed  during  these  few  hours,  merely 


KYLES    OF   BUTE.  45 

catching  a  momentary  glimpse  of  their  velvet  lawns, 
drooping  trees,  smoking  chimneys,  which  promised 
internal  comfort,  rustic  chairs  that  seemed  growing 
spontaneously  out  of  the  ground,  and  a  noble  array 
of  "  handsome  mountains,"  uniting  grandeur  to 
grace,  and  giving  a  dash  of  perfection  to  the  whole. 
"  Never  did  fifty  things  at  once  appear  so  lovely, — 
never,  never." 

Among  those  shifting  scenes,  the  first  which 
claimed  our  notice  was  the  old  castle  of  Karnes,  and 
afterwards  South  Hall,  a  house  not  very  illustrious 
in  respect  to  architecture,  and  glaring  in  a  new 
dress  of  whitewash,  which  seemed  to  have  been  put 
on  fresh  and  clean  that  very  morning ;  but  it  is  an 
extremely  pretty  place,  with  an  appearance  of 
perfectly  English  comfort.  We  felt  conscious  at  a 
glance,  that  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Campbell,  is  not  an 
absentee,  as  he  evidently  pays  great  attention  to 
embellishing  the  beautiful  grounds,  and  eveiy  cottage 
on  the  green  hills  around  is  clad  in  the  same 
spotless  hvery  of  white,  looking  at  a  distance  like 
poached  eggs  on  spinach.  Each  tenant  is  allowed 
a  barrel  of  lime  gratis,  whenever  he  chooses  to 
refresh  the  brilliancy  of  his  walls,  which  certainly 
require  no  bleaching  liquid  to  whiten  them.  One  of 
Mr.  Campbell's  people  gained  lately  the  Highland 
Society's  prize  for  exhibiting  the  neatest  cottage 
in  this  county,  and  the  competition  has  become 
5 


46  KYLES    OF   BUTE. 

more  eager  every  year,  producing  most  beneficial 
effects  on  the  comfort  of  all  parties,  who  thus 
acquire  habits  of  activity  and  cleanliness,  which  are 
rapidly  diffusing  themselves  over  eveiy  part  of 
Scotland,  where  it  is  thought  the  ancient  family  of 
M'Clarty  will  soon  be  extinct. 

Nothing  is  so  difficult  in  landscape  gardening, 
as  to  plant  a  hill  judiciously ;  and  in  this  neighbour- 
hood there  are  some  lamentable  failures,  one  being 
divided  into  clumps,  representing  exactly  the  nine 
of  diamonds,  and  another  we  saw  whimsically 
arranged  in  squares  of  light  and  dark-coloured  trees 
alternately,  like  a  gigantic  chess-board.  If  there 
had  only  been  men  in  proportion,  w^e  might  have  sat 
down  to  a  game  at  once. 

The  expense  of  a  passage  on  board  those  fine 
Clyde  steam-boats  is  so  low,  that  the  price  of 
travelling  averages  less  than  a  halfpenny  per  mile, 
which  must  be  nearly  as  cheap  as  the  wear  and  tear 
of  shoes  for  walking,  but  even  allowing  for  this,  it  is 
astonishing  to  see  Avhat  crow^ls  of  very  poor  people 
are  hurrjdng  about  from  place  to  place,  at  what 
must  be  a  great  expenditure  to  them,  considering 
that  they  may  not  always  meet  w^ith  persons  so 
generous  as  the  waggoner,  who  allowed  Whitting- 
ton  to  walk  beside  his  cart  for  nothing.  Several 
old  women,  clothed  in  blue  or  scarlet  cloaks,  to  hide 
all  deficiencies,  came  on  board,  bringing  a  hen,  or  a 


KYLES    OF    BUTE.  47 

dozen  of  eggs,  to  pay  for  their  passage,  instead  of 
mere  vulgar  money,  which  had  a  most  primitive 
appearance. 

Nothing  is  more  curious  than  to  observe  people's 
different  ways  of  getting  through  Ufe  ;  and  proceed- 
ing onwards,  we  admired  a  cottage  belonging  to  an 
English  clergyman,  who  has  retired  here  beyond 
the  cognizance  of  bishops,  and  who  hermetizes, 
independent  of  any  companion  except  the  sea-gulls 
and  herrino;s,  with  a  mountain  behind  him,  and  the 
ocean  in  front.  On  a  small  rocky  islet,  producing 
not  one  blade  of  grass,  the  reverend  proprietor  has 
reared  a  sort  of  porter's  lodge,  or  some  such  nonde- 
script ornamental  edifice,  wishing,  perhaps,  to  cheat 
himself  into  the  belief  that  he  has  a  neighbour 
wdthin  visitingV  distance,  but  no  highroad  passes 
nearer  than  five  miles  from  this  solitary  residence, 
the  only  access  to  which,  by  land,  is  over  a  trackless 
mountain,  on  which  no  wheel  has  ever  rolled.  Even 
in  the  Highlands,  where  people  travel  farther  to 
hear  a  good  sermon  than  elsewhere,  this  retired 
divine,  who  would  have  made  an  excellent  Roman 
Catholic  saint,  could  not,  if  he  washed  it,  gather  a 
congregation  together,  as  the  great  bell  of  Lincoln 
might  ring  its  "pond'rous  knell"  on  the  shore 
without  reaching  any  human  ear  but  his  own,  so 
detached  is  he  from  all  human  sjTiipathy  or  inter- 
course. 


48  KYLES   OF    BUTE. 

On  the  glittering  ocean,  near  this  charming  Ut- 
ile hel  retiro,  we  were  shown  a  fine  sloop,  careering 
along,  with  every  sail  set,  a  perfect  emblem  of  joy 
and  prosperity ;  but  I  was  told  that  a  very  few  days 
since,  this  gay-looking  vessel  had  been  suddenly 
upset,  when  three  sailors,  then  on  board,  were 
drowned.  It  lay  afterwards,  apparently  as  inacces- 
sible as  the  Royal  George,  under  twelve  fathoms  of 
water,  but  was  raised  again  by  means  of  empty 
hogsheads  being  sunk,  and  fixed  to  the  sides,  so 
that  their  buoyancy  brought  the  vessel  up  in  com- 
pany to  the  surface  again,  where  we  saw  her  now 
gracefully  dancing  on  the  waves,  perfectly  reckless 
of  the  giddy  faux  pas  by  which  she  had  consigned 
her  whole  crew  to  a  watery  grave. 

After  winding,  turning,  and  meandering  some 
time  longer  through  the  Kyles  of  Bute,  till  we  faced 
almost  every  point  of  the  compass  in  succession, 
another  lovely  cottage  was  displayed,  looking  as  if 
it  had  arrived  in  a  box  from  Richmond  Hill,  being 
a  perfect  nest  of  beauty,  tastefully  built,  and  highly 
ornamented,  rising  amidst  a  verdant  lawn,  and  en- 
compassed by  a  rich  profusion  of  trees.  We  were 
preparing  a  few  exclamations  of  admiration  and 
delight,  when  a  good-natured  friend,  who  had  obli- 
gingly appointed  himself  our  "Tourist's  Guide," 
and  knew  a  history  for  all  we  saw,  pointed  out 
within  a  few  yards  the  ci-devant  proprietor  of  this 


KYLES   OF   BUTE.  49 

little  fairy  dwelling,  who  actually  ruined  himself  in 
his  enthusiasm  to  embellish  it.  He  is  a  military- 
looking  man,  of  good  address,  and  old  family,  but 
sold  his  commission  in  the  army,  that  here  he  might 
exchange  the  sword  for  the  ploughshare.  After- 
wards, he  foimd  the  expense  of  building  so  great, 
that  he  had  to  part  with  the  place  which  he  had 
ruined  himself  to  adorn;  he  then  enlisted  under 
General  Evans,  but  "  still  to  his  mouth  adhered  the 
wooden  spoon,"  for  in  Spain  he  lost  his  all,  and  now 
subsists  on  charity.  We  do  occasionally  see  some 
melancholy  illustrations  of  the  old  proverb,  "  He 
who  is  born  under  a  three-halfpenny  planet,  will 
never  be  worth  twopence  ;"  but  the  chief  moral  to 
be  drawn  from  this  "  ower  true  tale,"  is,  that  no 
one  should  neglect  the  admonition  of  Scripture,  to 
"  count  the  cost"  before  he  begins  to  build.  From 
the  moment  any  Scotch  proprietor  lays  the  founda- 
tion of  a  new  house,  he  may  consider  himself  a 
bankrupt,  because  he  never  leaves  himself  a  suffi- 
cient income  to  inhabit  it,  and  he  never  seems  able 
to  stop  while  a  stone  remains  in  the  quarry.  It  is 
a  national  mania  to  overdo  both  our  public  and  pri- 
vate buildings,  for,  as  Burns  says,  "  Tis  pride  lays 
Scotland  low,"  and  many  a  vacant,  unfurnished 
drawing-room,  many  a  cold,  ^\dde,  ill-lighted  stair- 
case, and  many  a  comfortless  dining-room,  that 
never  saw  a  dinner,  bears  witness  against  the 
5* 


50  AIRD   LAMONT. 

founder  that  he  calculated  two  and  two  would  make 
five.  It  is  a  golden  rule,  that  every  house  should 
be  rather  too  small  for  the  proprietor's  income,  and 
those  who  build  a  castle  in  the  air,  should  wait  till 
they  are  circumstanced  like  Lord  Bacon,  who  was 
censured  by  Queen  Elizabeth  for  having  veiy  small 
rooms,  w^hen  he  courteously  replied,  "  Your  Majesty 
has  made  me  too  large  for  my  house  !"  When  our 
unfortunate  fellow-traveller  had  built  himself  out  of 
house  and  home,  the  cottage  was  purchased  by  a 
rich  widow,  who  bequeathed  it  to  her  nephew,  a 
respectable  fish-monger  from  Paisley,  and  he  may 
now  be  seen  watching  from  his  window  shoals  of 
living  fish  passing  along  with  provoking  impunity, 
when  they  might  formerly  have  made  his  fortune 
in  the  shop,  with  a  due  proportion  of  lobsters  and 
oyster  sauce. 

We  next  transferred  om^  admiration  to  the  Arran 
mountains,  with  their  torn,  ragged  summits,  and 
almost  inaccessible  crags,  which  realize  your  defini- 
tion of  a  precipice,  being  all  "  perpendicular  heights, 
from  which  any  one  throwing  himself  would  be 
killed  on  the  spot."  These  hills  are  quite  a  botan- 
ical garden,  abounding  in  rare  plants,  one  of  which 
was  given  me  formerly  to  taste,  and  had  exactly  the 
flavour  of  an  oyster. 

Towards  evening  we  doubled  Aird  Lamont 
point,  reckoned,  on  this  coast,  a  perfect  Cape  of 


CAMPBELLS.  51 

Good  Hope  for  storms;  but  the  wind  treated  us 
with  extraordinary  consideration,  only  blustering  a 
little,  to  show  its  own  importance,  while  our  smo- 
king vessel  staggered  along  like  a  tipsy  man,  reel- 
ing away  from  a  noisy,  scolding  wife.  The  La- 
monts  are  among  the  very  few  clans  whose  chief- 
tainship remains  undisputed,  as  there  is  scarcely 
another  family  of  the  name,  except  that  of  the  pre- 
sent Laird.  They  once  possessed  the  largest  estates, 
next  to  the  Duke  of  Argill's,  in  this  county.  Scotch 
entails  are  made  of  tough  materials,  but  neverthe- 
less much  of  their  original  property  has  escaped  to 
other  proprietors,  yet  an  elegant  modern  house, 
beautifully  situated,  and  facing  several  arms  of  the 
sea,  still  belongs  to  the  chief,  though,  after  having 
expected  a  castle  as  old  as  his  pedigree,  I  was  quite 
disappointed  to  see  one  scarcely  a  day  old. 

We  now  advanced  towards  a  cluster  of  places 
belonging  to  Campbells,  of  every  date,  rank,  and 
degree,  in  one  of  which  the  poet  who  adorns  that 
name  is  said  to  have  written  his  "  Pleasures  of 
Hope," — a  work,  the  success  of  which  must  have 
more  than  realized  every  hope  or  wish  an  author 
could  entertain,  and  often  "  charms  when  pleasures 
lose  the  power  to  please." 

Some  time  since,  a  West  Indian  planter  amassed 
an  extensive  estate,  in  the  very  centre  of  all  the 
Campbells,  by  purchasing  every  small  property  as 


52  CAMPBELLS. 

it  fell  into  the  market,  and  thus  becoming  what  is 
called  in  Scotland  "  a  laird  eater."  All  the  Cap- 
tain Campbells  were  indignant  at  this  intrusion,  as 
unwelcome  and  unexpected  as  the  presence  of  a 
stranger  among  the  ancient  tenants  of  a  rookery. 
Not  one  of  them  deigned  to  leave  his  card  upon  the 
nouveau  o'iche,  whom  they  nicknamed  "  the  great 
treacle  merchant  from  Glasgow,"  and  at  last  find- 
ing himself  so  lonely  and  vmsociable,  he  made  a 
final  effort  to  be  neighbourly,  by  writing  this  very 
simple  appeal  to  one  of  the  clan  Campbell,  who 
related  the  circumstance,  "  Shouldn't  you  visit  me  ?" 

The  first  ten  miles  of  Loch  Fyne  are  fine  only 
in  name,  as  here  and  there  we  took  leave  of  trees 
entirely ;  but  the  beach  is  beautifully  smooth,  and 
the  water  clearer  than  a  diamond.  At  Tarbert,  a 
name  which  means  "  the  boat  carrying,"  we  were 
amused  at  the  story  of  a  Norwegian  king  six  centu- 
ries ago,  who  had  been  promised  possession  of  every 
island  in  the  west  of  Scotland  which  he  could  cir- 
cumnavigate with  his  boat ;  so  he  caused  himself  to 
be  dragged  in  a  small  skiff  across  the  narrow  isthmus, 
only  three  miles  in  breadth,  connecting  the  southern 
part  of  Argyleshire  with  the  mainland,  and  claimed 
possession  of  that  fine  tract  of  country.  What 
would  the  Jockey  Club  have  said  to  this  rather 
black-leg  transaction  ? 

Soon   after  passing   Tarbert,  in  a  very   good, 


CAMPBELLS.  53 

well-wooded,  and  conspicuous  "  location,"  we  ad- 
mired Barmore,  a  handsome  new  house,  in  Burn's 
best  style  of  architecture,  commanding  on  one  side 
a  fine  view  of  the  Clyde,  and  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, a  long  range  of  Loch  Fyne,  but  in  front  the 
whole  edifice  is  modestly  concealed  behind  a  small 
round  island,  or  peninsula,  the  effect  being  very 
much  as,  you  might  imagine,  if  a  young  lady  low- 
ered her  parasol,  not  to  be  stared  out  of  countenance, 
and  yet  glanced  out  on  each  side,  to  see  that  she 
was  not  entirely  overlooked. 

Strangers  here  are  much  perplexed  by  the  uni- 
versal custom  of  calling  proprietors  by  the  name  of 
their  estates,  which  is  necessary  on  account  of 
every  gentleman  bearing  the  same  surname.  A 
Miss  Campbell,  who  married  once  in  Norfolk, 
brought  her  husband  to  visit  in  Argyleshire,  and 
soon  afterwards,  at  a  dinner  party,  the  host  politely 
asked  his  guest  to  take  wine,  adding,  "  Machrehan- 
ish,  Auchnacraig,  Drumnamucklock,  Achadashe- 
naig,  and  Fasnacloich  will  join  us  !"  The  bewil- 
dered EngHshman  could  not  conceive  what  these 
uncouth  sounds  might  mean,  till  he  hastily  glanced 
round  the  table,  and  saw  five  eager  faces  looking 
towards  him,  with  cordial  smiles,  and  extended 
glasses  ! 

Inverneil,  belonging  to  the  clan  Campbell,  is 
rather  small,  but  pretty,  and  poetical  looking,  sur- 


54  CAMPBELLS. 

rounded  by  romantic  hills,  wood,  and  water,  which 
would  do  admirably  in  verse,  with  the  embellish- 
ment of  a  few  golden  sunsets,  and  silver  moon- 
beams, if  we  could  find  rhymes  enough.  It  is  rather 
hard  upon  landscapes  of  great  merit  and  beauty, 
such  as  many  we  passed  to-day,  that  the  Cumber- 
land lakes  had  the  good  fortune  to  monopolize  so 
large  a  share  of  our  bards  ;  and  I  wish  we  could 
bring  a  poet-of-all-work  here,  to  celebrate  those 
places  I  am  about  to  describe,  which  had  not  the 
mere  xilla-look  of  vulgar  prosperity,  but  an  air  of 
elegance  and  refinement  which  showed  they  were 
accustomed  to  good  company.  A  Welsh  baronet, 
Sir  John  Orde,  has  paid  our  Scottish  hills  the  com- 
pliment to  settle  here,  and  lately  reared  the  house 
of  Kilmurry,  a  dark-grey  edifice  of  very  dismal- 
looking  stone,  opposite  to  which  is  a  gay  riante 
little  cottage,  belonging  to  a  civil  engineer,  with 
every  thing  in  miniature,  forest,  park,  garden,  and 
offices,  all  on  a  Liliputian  scale,  as  if  they  were 
the  mere  model  of  something  hereafter  to  be  real- 
ized. 

After  flitting  past  the  charming  place  of  Oak- 
field,  belonging  to  a  Campbell,  vice  Macneil  sold 
out,  we  were  shown  the  residences  of  two  Colonel 
Macneils,  not  relations,  placed  on  opposite  sides  of 
the  loch.  It  might  be  quite  a  comedy,  at  these 
houses,  sometimes,  when  \isiters  arrive  at  the  wTong 


CAMPBELLS.  55 

gate !  and  the  proprietors  must  be  constantly  open- 
ing each  other's  letters,  and  paying  each  other's 
bills. 

Next  in  the  procession  of  very  pretty  places, 
came  Ottar  and  Ballimore,  both  belonging  to  the 
well-lodged  clan  of  Campbell,  and  then  a  most  en- 
chanting place,  Minart,  now  for  sale;  and  as  an 
auctioneer  could  scarcely  exaggerate  its  beauty,  if 
any  Campbell  in  the  wide  world  has  realized 
enough  by  rail-road  speculations,  or  in  Australia,  to 
purchase  it,  I  think  the  future  Campbell  of  Minart 
will  be  one  of  the  most  enviable  small  proprietors 
in  Argyleshire. 

Continental  travellers  all  acknowledge  that  in 
Britain  only  are  to  be  seen  those  charming  country 
residences,  which  give  us  ideas  of  rural  happiness, 
and  fill  the  mind  with  thoughts  of  human  life  and 
human  enjoyment,  thus  awakening  the  keenest 
interest  and  sympathy  of  which  our  hearts  are 
capable.  Even  the  most  captivating  scenery  is  to 
me  almost  like  a  blank  sheet  of  paper,  till  it  be 
written  over  with  the  actions  or  feelings,  the  history 
or  poetry  of  other  days,  and  as  the  loftiest  mountain 
gains  a  new  interest,  if  even  the  most  insignificant 
living  animal  be  seen  on  the  surface,  and  the 
^\ade  ocean  itself  is  overlooT^ed,  while  our  most 
eager  gaze  rests  on  a  distant  vessel  buffeting  the 
breeze,  so  also  the  permanent  abodes  of  men  where 


56  CAMPBELLS. 

families  have  successively  lived  and  died,  and  where 
the  joys  and  sorrovv^s  of  life  have  been,  or  still  are 
felt,  afford  subjects  for  reflection  and  thought  not 
to  be  exhausted.  Neither  music,  poetry,  nor  sce- 
nery, can  awaken  permanent  interest,  without  in 
some  degree  touching  our  sympathies.  I  seldom 
read  books  of  eastern  travels,  because  they  seem  all 
filled  with  gold  embroidery,  dark  eyes,  fringe  and 
chocolate,  and  I  am  wearied  of  savage  countries 
A\dth  tatooing,  red  feathers,  hunting,  and  idolatry ; 
but,  as  Madame  de  Stael  says,  "  the  homes  of 
Great  Britain  are  the  best  homes  upon  earth,"  and 
there,  among  hills  and  glens  of  surpassing  beauty, 
we  may  imagine  scenes  of  domestic  felicity,  such  as 
can  only  be  known  in  a  civilized  and  in  a  Christian 
country,  while  every  mountain  and  stream  speaks  of 
days  long  passed,  and  reminds  us  of  the  vanished 
generations,  whose  history,  distinctly  recorded  in  the 
memory,  is  so  nearly  connected  with  our  own. 

The  most  perfect  little  multum  in  parvo  of 
loveliness  that  we  saw,  during  this  enchanting 
voyage,  was  a  little  bird's-nest  of  a  place,  called 
Penimore,  smTOunded  by  grassy  hillocks,  rich  hol- 
lows, luxuriant  trees,  noble  mountains,  and  a  wide 
stretch  of  ocean,  bounded  by  distant  promontories. 
No  one  could  see  that  little  miniature  of  beauty, 
without  wishing  to  land  there,  and  take  it  for  the 
summer  !     A  beau  ideal  of  perfect  happiness  arises 


INVERARY.  57 

before  the  fancy  in  beholding  such  a  spot  of  fairy- 
Kke  beauty,  but  a  fairy's  wand  would  be  necessary 
actually  to  realize  an  exemption  from  those  vulgar 
cares  and  anxieties  of  life  which  intrude  themselves 
every  where ;  besides  which,  living  in  those  very  tiny 
cottages,  the  inmates  must  require  singularly  good 
tempers,  as  it  would  be  impossible  there  to  avoid 
any  one  who  chose  to  have  a  fit  of  ill-humour,  and 
to  call  it  a  head-ache. 

The  approach  to  Inverary  is  a  master-piece  of 
natural  beauty,  and  I  could  have  exclaimed  like  the 
Frenchman,  "  Grand !  magnifique !  pretty  well  V^ 
The  deep  blue  waters  of  Loch  Fyne,  glittering  like  a 
sapphire,  and  fringed  to  their  very  margin  with 
massy  trees, — the  dark  grey  Castle  embosomed  in 
old  ancestral  forests,  the  town  situated  on  a  charm- 
ing beach,  the  nearer  hills  clothed  to  their  summits 
with  waving  foliage,  and  the  purple  outline  of  many 
a  savage  mountain  beyond,  looking  like  a  rough 
outer  crust  to  enclose  and  protect  the  whole.  This 
varied  landscape  might  almost  be  said  to  represent 
the  gradual  progress  of  civihzation,  from  the  far-off 
times  of  stern  uncultivated  barbarism,  to  the  softer 
graces  and  refinement  of  modern  days,  when  rough 
majestic  nature  is  tamed  and  embellished  by  the 
hand  of  art,  losing  half  its  peculiarities  of  character, 
but  gaining  in  fertility  and  beauty. 

I  wish  we  could  send  you  a  specimen  of  what 
6 


58  INVERARY. 

nature  does  for  this  part  of  the  world,  in  the  shape 
of  mountains  and  trees !  Many  of  these  shady 
groves  were  planted,  two  centuries  ago,  by  the 
Marquis  of  Argyll,  who  died  afterwards  a  martyr 
for  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  though  timber  to 
the  value  of  more  than  jE  100,000  has  fallen  during 
the  last  Duke's  reign,  who  likewise  sold  ^£300,000 
of  land,  yet  a  drive  through  the  Roebuck  Park, 
Glenshira,  Glenaray,  and  Glen  Douglas,  will  show 
you,  that  while  the  ranks  are  sadly  thinned,  some 
fine  old  veterans  yet  survive  the  havoc,  and  are  now 
in  safe  protection,  as  their  lives  might  be  insured  to 
any  amount  under  the  present  Duke,  who  is  a  con- 
servative in  woods  and  forests,  as  much  as  in 
politics.  When  the  late  Duke's  health  was  drank 
at  an  Inverary  public  dinner,  under  the  old  family 
designation  of  "  M'Caillain  More,"  he  rose  amidst 
enthusiastic  plaudits  to  return  thanks,  but  suddenly 
struck  by  the  change  which  his  own  extravagance 
had  made  in  the  fortunes  of  his  ancient  family,  he 
silently  sunk  back  in  his  chair,  and  burst  into  tears. 
The  most  thankless  labour  on  earth  is,  to  at- 
tempt describing  scenery,  therefore  I  shall  not  put 
you  out  of  breath  with  a  scramble  to  the  summit  of 
Duniquaich,  800  feet  high,  and  wooded  to  the  top 
^vith  real  trees,  not  mere  bushes,  where  tourists  seem 
to  mount  for  no  better  purpose  than  to  inscribe  their 
own  insignificant  names,  (of  which  we  cannot  but 


INVERARY.  59 

wonder  to  see  any  one  vain,)  on  the  rocks,  and  in  a 
little  antique  tower,  where  chalk,  pencils,  and  pen- 
knives have  done  their  utmost  to  immortalize  the 
industrious  writers. 

An  English  grumbler,  whom  we  encountered 
here,  confessed  that  he  actually  lost  his  way  in  "  a 
forest !"  and  perpetrated  a  pun  on  the  occasion, 
saying,  "  he  was  lost  in  a  maze" — that  he  had  gone 
up  our  hills, "  merely  to  run  them  down  again  ;"  add- 
ing a  gratuitous  remark, "that  Blenheim  was  a  much 
larger  house  than  In verary,  and  that  the  Duke  of  Dev- 
onshire had  considerably  finer  trees  than  any  here." 
We  yielded  both  these  points  with  the  most  exem- 
plary candour,  and  he  then  looked  round  the  shady 
path,  remarking,  that  it  w^as  a  relief  anywhere  to 
lose  sight  of  the  sea,  as  he  \7as  perfectly  tired  of 
looking  at  it !  But  when  asked  if  this  landscape 
was  completely  to  his  mind,  he  answ^ered  with  cha- 
racteristic humour,  "  The  grass  is  perhaps  rather  too 
green !" 

I  could  scarcely  have  conceived,  indeed,  that 
green  could  exhibit  so  gaudy  a  variety  of  tints  as 
the  park  and  trees  did  here !  The  contrasts  of 
colour  formed  a  brilliant  mosaic,  pale  delicate  pea- 
green,  and  rich  brown  shades  mingling  \\dth  the 
nearly  black  firs,  and  all  showing  each  other  off  to 
the  greatest  advantage.  If  you  ever  plant  trees, 
and  have  an  extravagant  spendthrift  for  your  heir, 


60  INVERARY. 

let  them  all  be  beeches,  not  from  any  compliment  to 
their  merit,  but  because  the  timber  being  of  little 
value,  their  lives  are  sure  to  be  spared,  for  among 
trees,  as  well  as  among  men,  it  is  generally  the  best 
that  go  first,  and  the  refuse  remain  behind !  How 
humble  and  pathetic  was  the  exclamation  of  a 
Christian,  who  had  survived  all  his  cotemporaries, 
"  They  had  wings  to  soar,  and  are  fled, — I  had  none, 
and  am  left  behind."  Men,  trees,  and  houses,  all 
have  flourished  and  decayed  here  in  the  long  lapse 
of  centuries;  but  one  single  object  has  remained 
unaltered — a  grey,  hoary  Druid's  stone  raises  its 
aged  head  in  the  park,  and  has  maintained  that  sol- 
itary position  unhurt  amidst  the  war  of  elements, 
and  the  wreck  of  matter,  being  of  older  descent 
than  even  M'Caillain  More  himself ;  but  as  it  is  cer- 
tain death  in  the  Highlands  to  disturb  a  Druid's 
cairn,  we  kept  at  a  respectful  distance.  I  rever- 
ence all  those  old  superstitious  observances,  and 
would  "nod  to  every  magpie,"  or  pick  up  every 
pin,  rather  than  brave  the  inevitable  misfortunes 
threatened  in  the  Highlands  to  those  who  pass 
either  unnoticed. 


INVERARY. 


Invekary  Inn. 

Should  once  the  world  resolve  to  abolish 
All  that's  ridiculons  and  foolish, 
It  would  have  nothing  left  to  do 
To  apply  in  jest  or  earnest  to ! 

Butler. 

My  dear  Cousin, — Having  an  invaluable  stock 
of  leisure  on  hand,  I  now  proceed  to  bestow  an  hour 
of  it  on  you,  though  my  opportunities  of  observation 
are  not,  perhaps,  much  more  ample  than  those  of 
the  Irishman,  who  said  he  knew  all  about  the  French 
Court,  having  once  seen  Louis  XIV.  riding  at 
Versailles. 

The  famous  Soame  Jenyns  used  to  remark,  that  it 
cost  him  exactly  ^£300  a-year  to  be  cheated  good- 
humouredly,  without  losing  his  temper,  and  that  he 
thought  it  well  worth  the  money ;  but  very  few  travel- 
lers go  about  the  world  on  liberal  principles  like  these, 
for  I  believe  there  is  more  grumbling  than  cheating  in 
the  Highland  inns ;  and  having  heard  many  tourists 
in  a  complaining  key,  I  must  say,  that  here  we  have 
found  London  comforts,  with  certainly  nothing  like 
London  prices,  and  the  innkeeper  has  actually  a 
marine  villa,  about  half  a  mile  distant,  for  his  chil- 
6* 


62  INVERARY. 

dren's  sea-bathing  quarters,  that  the  house  may  be 
kept  perfectly  neat  and  quiet ! 

In  our  sitting-room  here,  the  ladies  of  Inverary 
have  placed  a  large  open  chest,  filled  with  dolls, 
bags,  drawings,  and  purses,  enough  to  have  furnished 
a  superb  stall  in  any  bazaar,  with  their  prices  an- 
nexed, and  a  written  notice  hung  up,  that  these  arti- 
cles are  to  be  sold  for  charitable  purposes,  while 
the  landlady  is  ready  to  charge  any  article  in  the  bill 
that  we  may  happen  to  fancy.  I  was  informed,  when 
depositing  the  price  of  a  reticule,  that,  last  summer, 
this  little  shop,  without  a  shopkeeper,  realized  the 
sum  of  jei4!  This  modest  appeal  to  our  liberahty 
was  quite  irresistible,  but  there  is  so  perpetual  a 
traffic  going  on  in  society  now  with  ladies  selling 
their  own  manufactures  for  some  undeniably  good 
purpose,  that  I  often  feel,  like  poor  aunt  Grizzy  with 
the  shirt  buttons,  and  would  much  rather  pay  five 
shillings  to  be  off  the  bargain,  than  give  twenty  for 
some  perfectly  useless  piece  of  frippery,  like  the 
"  elegant  thread-papers,"  or  paper  candlesticks  with 
paper  extinguishers,  which  seem  intended  to  illus- 
trate the  opinion  of  an  old  lady  in  respect  to  pres- 
ents, that  "the  more  useless  they  are,  the  more 
elegant." 

I  was  amused,  when  sitting  at  the  inn  window, 
to  see  the  town-crier  stroll  lazily  past,  tolling  his 
bell,  and  calling  aloud  with  the  true  nasal  drone  of 


INTERARY.  63 

a  Highlander,  not  very  unlike  a  cracked  bagpipe, 
"  There's  a  silver  spoon  been  found  in  the  street  last 
night!  if  anybody  lost  it,  he  may  get  it  again!" 
Several  persons  stopped  him,  pretending  in  jest  to 
claim  it,  and  one  individual  became  so  very  earnest 
to  ascertain  whether  it  was  "  a  big  or  a  httle  one," 
that  the  public  functionary  rephed,  "  If  ye  had  lost 
it,  ye  would  have  known  that,"  and  acknowledged 
he  had  not  yet  been  allowed  to  see  the  stray  article 
himself,  adding,  in  evident  indignation,  that  the  old 
woman  who  found  this  treasure  would  not  trust  him 
with  a  glimpse  of  it,  but  he  manfully  declared  his 
intention  of  returning  immediately,  to  decline  adver- 
tising it  any  more,  unless  she  shov/ed  him  the  spoon 
without  reserve,  adding,  in  a  tone  of  injured  dignity, 
"  she  wouldn't  even  tell  me  if  it  was  a  toddy-ladle, 
or  a  tea-spoon !"  Diogenes  tried  all  his  life  in  vain 
to  find  an  honest  man,  but  we  flatter  ourselves  that 
among  womankind  there  would  never  have  been  so 
lamentable  a  scarcity,  and  especially  now,  when  we 
may  point  w^th  triumph  to  Inverary. 

The  late  Duke  of  Argyll,  like  the  majority  of 
noble  Scottish  proprietors,  was  almost  entirely  an 
absentee ;  and,  if  a  muster-roll  were  called  over  in 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  of  every  landlord's  name, 
how  few  in  their  own  places  could  answer,  "here!" 
One  gentleman,  on  the  look-out  for  a  countiy  resi- 
dence, assm-ed  us  he  had  inspected  about  fifty,  each 


64  INVERARY. 

SO  desirable,  that  he  would  like  to  have  taken  them 
all,  while  the  owners  had  vanished  to  the  Continent. 
There,  in  a  miserable  lodging,  they  Mall  probably 
waste  their  existence  on  amusement  instead  of  hap- 
piness, taking  the  shadow  for  the  substance, — admir- 
ing side-scenes  at  the  theatre,  instead  of  their  own 
magnificent  landscapes, — seeing  their  children  grow- 
ing up  around  them  without  heart  or  principle, — 
frequenting  the  opera-house,  instead  of  the  church, — 
going  through  life  without  usefulness,  and  suffering 
death  without  consolation.  It  is  a  mournful  ex- 
change, and  even  with  respect  to  minor  comforts,  I 
never  can  fancy  the  advantage  of  possessing  orna- 
mental vases  instead  of  wash-hand  basins,  gilded 
ceilings  instead  of  carpets,  and  marble  statues  in- 
stead of  livery  servants,  "  mais  chacun  a  son  gofft.^^ 
Those  only  can  estimate  pleasures  who  have  tried 
them,  and  perhaps  when  you  and  I  succeed  to  our 
great  estates,  we  may  learn,  like  other  landed  proprie- 
tors, to  hate  the  sight  of  them.  As  Lord  Bacon  re- 
marks, "  It  is  a  melancholy  state,  having  nothing 
more  to  desire,  and  a  thoLisand  things  to  fear."  The 
most  wretched  feeling  of  all  is,  the  want  of  a  want ; 
and  I  often  think  that  poultry,  which  are,  we  know, 
unable  to  exist  without  swallowing  a  daily  portion 
of  stones  and  gravel,  might  aptly  illustrate  our  ab- 
solute necessity  for  hardships  and  difficulties.  As 
men  are  not  born  to  sit  down  perfectly  satisfied  any- 


INVERARY    CASTLE.  65 

where  in  this  world,  I  suppose  the  very  perfection  of 
all  those  beautiful  castles,  villas,  and  cottages  so 
generally  abandoned,  leads  to  satiety  and  weariness ; 
but  I  should  like  to  convince  myself  by  experience, 
that  all  my  theories  of  "  almost  perfect  happiness" 
are  fallacious.  Probably  no  one  would  have  believed 
that  the  beautiful  fruit  in  the  garden  of  Hesperides 
was  unpalatable  till  he  tasted  it,  and,  as  far  as  one 
can  guess  externally,  the  proprietor  of  a  noble  estate, 
residing  among  an  attached  and  grateful  tenantiy, 
might  require  the  admonition  of  Philip's  slave, 
"  Remember  you  are  mortal,"  in  order  to  moderate 
his  interest  in  all  around  him,  when  gazing  on  the 
patrimony  bequeathed  to  him  hy  his  ancestors,  and 
about  to  be  inherited  by  his  children.  Few  have 
more  cause  for  pleasurable  feelings  than  the  present 
Duke  of  Argyll,  successor  to  a  long  line  of  noble 
progenitors,  and  inheriting  a  place  so  abounding  in 
natural  beauty  and  in  historical  interest  as  Inverary, 
where  the  family  of  Argyll  exercised  an  almost  regal 
influence,  which  has  made  their  name  conspicuous 
in  every  page  of  our  Scottish  annals.  When  sur- 
rounded by  the  scene  of  their  many  bold  exploits,  I 
scarcely  could  grudge  their  memory  the  triumph  of 
that  old  song,  written  in  derision  of  our  clan,  "  The 
Campbells  are  coming,  the  Sinclairs  are  running." 

Inverary   Castle   is  a  dark,   handsome,   square 
building,  with  massy  round  towers  at  each  corner, 


6G  INVERARY  CASTLE. 

and  was  founded  in  1745,  an  odd  year  to  choose 
for  building  a  residence,  when  so  many  in  Scotland 
were  at  that  very  time  destroyed  ;  but  the  Duke  of 
Argyll  took,  as  it  tm^ned  out,  the  safe  side  on  that 
occasion,  rightly  preferring,  like  so  many  of  his 
ancestors,  his  religion  even  to  his  loyalty ;  and  as 
two  of  his  predecessors  laid  their  heads  on  the  block 
for  the  Protestant  faith,  he  was  equally  true  to  his 
principles,  though  fortunately  so  great  a  sacrifice 
did  not  turn  out  to  be  necessary. 

If  the  sunk  story  of  Inverary  Castle  could  but 
make  itself  visible,  the  house  would  be  amazingly 
improved,  as  it  only  wants  drawing  up  to  acquire  a 
suitable  degree  of  ducal  dignity  and  magnificence ; 
and  it  is  likewise  considerably  shortened  by  a  singu- 
lar looking  plantation  of  laurel,  a  solid  mass  of 
which  entirely  surrounds  the  house,  cutting  off  sev- 
eral feet  from  the  apparent  height  of  the  walls. 
The  whole  bed  of  these  evergreens  is  clipped  so 
perfectly  flat  on  the  top,  that  you  might  almost 
drive  a  waggon  over  the  surface,  and  at  stated  dis- 
tances a  narrow  grass  walk  intersects  them,  the 
whole  being  surrounded  by  a  strong  iron  railing. 
We  stood  for  several  minutes  conjecturing  what 
could  have  been  the  origin  of  this  curious  deformity, 
and  guessed  every  cause  except  the  right  one.  It 
could  scarcely  be  a  cover  for  game  so  near  the 
liouse ;  it  could  never  have  been  intended  as  an  or- 


IXVERARY   CASTLE.  67 

nament;  and  at  last  we  endeavoured,  but  in  vain, 
to  fancy  that  it  was  planned  in  the  form  of  the  fam- 
ily arms ;  but  after  making  twenty  mistakes,  a  cice- 
rone came  to  our  relief,  a  perfect  sybil,  who  solved 
the  enigma.  This  labyrinth  was  planted  by  the 
late  Duchess  to  keep  off  beggars !  All  the  poor 
of  Inverary  had  been  so  liberally  relieved  at  the 
Castle  formerly,  that  they  became  extremely  trouble- 
some, besieo;ino;  all  the  doors  and  w^indows  in  atti- 
tudes  of  supplication,  and  remaining  so  long,  that, 
like  the  American  beggar,  their  shadows  might  have 
remained  on  the  w^all  an  hour  after  they  departed. 
This  fortification  of  laurel  was  a  very  gentle  hint  to 
the  assailants,  and  characteristic  of  the  Argyll  fam- 
ily, who  are  peculiarly  considerate  to  the  poor,  a 
pleasing  instance  of  which  was  pointed  out  to  me 
here.  Between  the  Duke's  park  wall  and  the  high- 
road lies  a  narrow  stripe  of  waste  ground,  which 
the  late  Duke  allowed  to  be  enclosed  with  neat 
wooden  palings,  and  divided  into  little  gardens  for 
the  poor  of  Inverary,  who  pay  a  nominal  rent,  to 
give  them  the  feeling  of  tenants,  and  cultivate  what 
fruit  or  vegetables  they  please.  Romantic  little 
arbours  have  been  raised  in  each  enclosure;  the 
gates  are  all  painted  green ;  the  busy  hum  of  bees 
is  heard  in  every  garden ;  and  the  Duke's  park  wall 
is  here  covered  w^th  apple  and  pear  trees  belonging 
to  the  poor,  among  whom  a  keen  spirit  of  compe- 


68  mVERARY   CASTLE. 

tition  prevails ;  and  I  saw  several  men,  women,  and 
boys,  diligently  plying  the  busy  spade,  among  their 
own  fresh  green  cabbages  and  currants,  all  healthy, 
cheerful,  and  contented.  Much  old-fashioned  clan- 
ishness  of  feeling  still  remains  in  this  neighbour- 
hood, where  the  people  frequently  mention  their 
chief  with  brightening  countenances ;  and  they  say 
that  no  instance  is  known  on  the  estate  of  an  old 
tenant  being  superseded.  The  grounds  of  Inverary 
are  so  perfectly  open  to  strangers,  that  you  would 
be  apt  to  forget  they  do  not  belong  to  yourself;  and 
the  public  coach  here  has  leave  to  drive  through 
the  park,  that  travellers  may  enjoy  the  view,  which 
really  seems  rather  an  unconunon  instance  of  cour- 
tesy. We  saw  the  stage-coach  in  full  career  among 
the  stately  trees,  and  a  most  primitive  vehicle  it  was, 
containing  three  rows  of  benches  on  a  platform,  ar- 
ranged exactly  like  a  box  at  the  theatre  on  wheels, 
with  no  canopy,  and  drawn  by  three  rough,  uncouth, 
awkward-looking   horses,   yoked    unicorn   fashion. 

An  English  passenger  complained  to  A that 

our  chmate  was  quite  incomprehensible,  as  the 
clouds  became  sometimes  so  exceedingly  heavy  and 
dark,  mthout  producing  a  drop  of  rain,  that  he  ac- 
tually burdened  himself  often  with  an  umbrella  when 
it  turned  out  quite  unnecessary  !  This  was  a  serious 
grievance  undoubtedly ;  but  those  massy  clouds 
which  he  criticised,  when  bathed  in  a  stream  of 


INVERARY   CASTLE.  69 

sunshine,  and  lighted  with  brilliant  tints  of  gold  and 
crimson,  produced  a  splendour  of  effect  which  any 
clear  Italian  sky  might  vainly  attempt  to  equal ; 
and  in  the  far  north,  when  the  amora  borealis  shoots 
through  the  air  in  long  lances  of  red  and  blue  flame, 
you  might  fancy  the  banners  of  the  Almighty  float- 
ing across  the  firmament. 

When  we  applied  for  admission  at  Inverary  Cas- 
tle, the  chatty  old  housekeeper  seemed  really  glad 
of  an  opportunity  to  practise  her  mother  tongue, 
being  situated  here  somewhat  like  a  post-captain  at 
sea,  who  meets  none  but  inferiors,  with  whom  it 
would  be  a  breach  of  etiquette  to  associate  ;  and  she 
was  so  full  of  family  legends,  and  almost  forgotten 
stories,  that  if  you  had  pricked  her  finger,  a  High- 
land tradition  would  have  flowed  out  immediately. 

The  entrance-hall  at  Inverary  Castle,  the  whole 
height  of  the  house,  is  fitted  up  as  an  armory,  deco- 
rated with  a  large  circle  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
muskets,  now  on  half  pay,  not  having  seen  any 
service  since  they  assisted  to  place  the  tottering 
crown  on  a  Protestant  head  at  the  battle  of  Cullo- 
den.  Underneath  them  lies  a  billiard  table,  the 
balls  on  which  have  been  used  in  many  more  recent 
conflicts,  and  above  is  a  gallery,  where  a  military 
band  used  to  perform  in  the  evening  when  the  late 
Puke  and  Duchess  were  at  home, 

7 


70  INVERARY    CASTLE. 

I  have  so  often  visited  these  pictures,  that  they 
seemed  almost  to  smile  upon  me  as  an  old  friend,  and 
you  will  seldom  behold  a  circle  of  more  magnificent 
looking  personages,  all  as  noble  in  appearance  as 
they  were  in  rank.  I  sometimes  wonder  what  has 
become  of  the  fine  large  aquiline  noses  people  used 
to  wear  long  ago  !  I  never  yet  saw  one  upon  any 
face  that  seemed  to  me  too  large ;  but  you  might 
suppose  a  carpenter's  plane  had  levelled  those  of  the 
present  day,  they  are  so  inferior  in  altitude  to  some 
of  the  ancient  Earls  here,  who  look  hke  the  lords  of 
a  hundred  fortresses,  frowning  upon  their  vassals 
with  stern  authority. 

The  heads  of  great  families  formerly  seem  all 
to  have  been  nicknamed  by  some  personal  pecuHarity. 
In  the  Sutherland  dynasty  the  colour  of  the  hair 
decided  this  point,  and  they  had  "  The  Red  Earl, 
the  Grey  Earl,  and  the  Black  Earl ;"  but  the  Argyll 
family  are  discriminated  according  to  mental  gifts, 
"  The  Good  Duke,  and  the  Great  Duke."  Great  as 
the  Great  Duke  was,  however,  in  his  own  day,  he  is 
indebted  for  most  of  his  modern  celebrity  to  Jeannie 
Deans !  Fame  lent  her  trumpet,  for  a  time,  to  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  allowing  him  to  revive  the  nearly  for- 
gotten memory  of  several  grandees  in  Scottish  his- 
tory. Poets  and  novelists  are  the  real  arbiters  of 
notoriety.     Biu-ns  immortalized  a  single  daisy,  and 


INVERARY    CASTLE.  71 

the  Great  Unknown  re-produced  the  Duke  of  Argyll, 

who  was  fading  away  to  oblivion  in  a  kingdom  which 

seemed  once  unable  to  exist  without  him, — 

Argyll,  the  nation's  whole  thunder  born  to  wield, 
And  shake  alike  the  senate  and  the  field. 

For  Scotland  he  always  stood  up  at  court  with  a  bold- 
ness that  endangered  his  favour  with  their  Majesties. 
When  Queen  Caroline  was  regent  in  the  absence  of 
George  the  Second  in  Hanover,  being  angry  w^ith 
the  Scotch  on  account  of  the  Porteous  mob,  she 
contemptuously  asked  what  sort  of  people  the  High- 
land lairds  were,  when  he  replied,  "  Like  German 
Princes,  very  poor  and  very  proud ;"  and  when  she 
threatened  to  turn  Scotland  into  a  hunting-field,  the 
Duke  significantly  rephed,  "  In  that  case  I  shall  go 
and  get  my  hounds  ready  to  meet  your  Majesty." 
On  one  occasion,  George  the  Second  becoming  irri- 
tated at  his  vehement  defence  of  Scotch  prerogatives, 
snatched  off  his  Grace's  wig  and  threw  it  into  the 
fire.  The  Duke  instantly  retorted,  by  throwing  the 
King's  in  also,  and  some  attendants  behind  the  door 
hearing  a  scuffle,  rushed  in  to  ascertain  the  cause, 
when  his  Majesty,  having  recovered  his  presence  of 
mind  and  good  hmnour,  called  out,  "  It  was  only  the 
Duke,  for  a  frohc,  who  threw  his  wig  into  the  fire, 
and  I,  to  keep  him  in  countenance,  threw  mine  after 
it."  When  George  the  Third  was  angry,  he  used 
to  kick  his  wig  all  round  the  room. 


72  INVERARY   CASTLE. 

The  Duchesses  of  Argyll  were  invariably  hand- 
some, and  bequeathed  an  inheritance  of  beauty  to 
all  their  descendants.  It  is  difficult  to  say  whether 
the  ci-devant  Miss  Bellenden,  or  Miss  Gunning 
would  have  shone  most  resplendently,  as  Queen  of 
Beauty  at  a  Tournament,  and  I  could  not  but  think 
how  each  must  successively  have  embellished  and 
enjoyed  those  gardens  and  saloons  at  Inverary,  sur- 
rounded by  all  that  renders  domestic  life  attractive  ; 
but  the  family  motto,  "  I  can  scarcely  call  these 
things  our  own,"  reminds  us  of  a  solemn  truth. 
The  nearer  mortals  approach  to  perfect  happiness, 
the  more  do  their  spirits  become  touched  by  the  af- 
fecting remembrance  that  the  miracle  cannot  last, 
and  that  the  brightness  of  such  a  noon  is  but  the 
harbinger  of  night.  Their  beauty  and  splendour 
belong  now  to  the  history  of  long-vanished  years  ! 
When  a  w^ould-be-wit  once  saw  that  lovely  picture 
at  Belvoir  Castle,  representing  the  most  celebrated 
beauty  of  George  the  Third's  court,  he  clandestinely 
altered  the  inscription,  making  it  no  longer  "  Isa- 
bella," but  "  Was-a-bella,  Duchess  of  Rutland  !" 
Here  Miss  Gunning's  portrait  gives  one  the  idea  of 
perpetual  youth  and  beauty,  though  her  reception  of 
Bos  well,  when  he  visited  at  Inverary,  shows  she 
was  not  always  gracious.  Having  been  previously 
married  to  the  Duke  of  Hamilton  and  Brandon,  Dr. 
Johnson  called  her  "  a  Duchess  of  three  tails !"  and 


INVERARY    CASTLE.  73 

since  then,  all  her  four  sons  have  been  Dukes.  The 
lovely  Maiy  Bellenden  is  smihng  most  bewitchingly, 
opposite  to  her  very  stern,  iron-visaged  husband, 
one  of  the  most  grim-looking  ancestors  that  I  know 
by  sight,  but  perhaps  he  might  be  annoyed  at  hav- 
ing the  trouble  to  sit.  I  like  the  plan  of  your  old 
friend,  who  made  it  a  rule,  for  the  information  of  his 
family,  always  when  he  felt  out  of  humour,  to  put  on 
a  white  hat,  and  then  there  could  be  no  mistake. 
Some  people  of  our  acquaintance  would  never  be 
without  one !  A  poem  was  published  long  ago,  on 
the  first  Earl  of  Ai'gyll  and  Lord  of  Lorn,  calling  him 
Earl  of  Guile  and  Lord  Forlorn. 

Here  we  saw  a  melancholy  melo-dramatic  look- 
ing portrait  representing  the  Marquis  of  Argyll, 
who  placed  the  crown  on  Charles  the  Second's 
head  at  Scone,  and  afterwards,  having  sided 
with  the  Presbyterians,  suffered  death  on  the 
same  guillotine  which  also  beheaded  his  son,  the 
Earl,  four  and  twenty  years  afterwards.  It  was 
originally  provided  from  France  by  the  Regent  Earl 
of  Morton,  who  was  the  first  to  suffer  death  by  it  in 
1581.  This  instrument,  commonly  called  "  The 
Maiden,"  is  still  to  be  seen  at  the  Antiquarian  Mu- 
seum in  Edinburgh.  The  Christian  calmness  of  the 
Marquis  in  the  hour  of  death  was  truly  exemplary. 
He  remarked,  "  I  had  the  honour  to  place  the  crown 
upon  the  King's  head,  and  now  he  hastens  me  to  a 
7* 


74  INVERARY   CASTLE. 

better  crown  than  his  own,"  and  his  admonition  to 
the  clergy  may  be  useful  to  those  of  any  generation, 
"  We  must  either  sin,  or  suffer, — for  myself,  I  prefer 
temporal  to  eternal  death." 

When  the  brave  and  gallant  Montrose  was 
dragged  along  the  Canongate  some  years  before 
that  time,  to  be  ignominiously  executed,  a  balcony 
is  still  shown,  in  w^hat  was  then  the  Earl  of  Moray's 
house,  where  the  Marchioness  of  Argyll,  who  had 
arrived  to  celebrate  her  son's  marriage  to  Lord  Mo- 
ray's daughter,  looked  out  to  witness  the  downfall 
of  her  husband's  opponent,  and  actually  spit  upon 
him  !  This  gives  no  very  refined  idea  of  what  Mar- 
chionesses were  in  those  primitive  days,  especially 
when  they  meddled  with  politics,  and  I  could  not 
but  wonder  whether  any  feeling  of  self-reproach  af- 
terwards arose,  when  she  attended  her  own  husband 
in  prison,  previous  to  his  sharing  the  same  melan- 
choly fate.  Argyll  and  Montrose  had  each  burned 
a  castle  belonging  to  the  other,  and  for  that  reason, 
Argyll  generously  refused  to  concur  in  the  sentence 
against  his  personal  enemy. 

We  next  examined  a  very  pretty  pink  and  white 
picture  of  Mrs.  Gunning,  in  a  blue  dress,  seated  out 
of  doors,  with  her  powdered  head  uncovered,  and 
carrying  a  large  sable  muff.  Do  you  think,  to  judge 
from  the  costume,  that  she  sat  during  winter,  or  in 
summer  ?     Nothing  riveted  our  attention  with  more 


IN\'ERARY    CASTLE.  75 

admiration  of  its  beauty,  than  the  porti-ait  represent- 
ing Lady  Charlotte  Bury  as  Aurora,  her  counte- 
nance radiant  hke  a  beam  of  hght,  and  she  is  stand- 
ing on  a  cloud,  dressed  in  flowing  robes,  which  re- 
semble the  grey  mist  of  morning,  while  her  scarf  is 
as  light  as  woven  wind.  She  is  supposed  to  be 
stepping  forward,  and  gracefully  scattering  flowers 
over  the  world,  but  books  would  now  have  been 
more  suitable. 

The  handsome  Duke  of  Hamilton's  pictiu-e  by 
Battoni,  painted  in  Italy  before  he  was  of  age,  looks 
as  if  the  Apollo  Belvidere  had  condescended,  for 
one  day,  to  put  on  a  court  dress,  and  to  sit  for  his 
picture,  in  silk  stockings  and  buckles.  We  are 
generally  told,  that  he  was  about  the  handsomest 
human  being  who  ever  appeared  on  the  earth. 
When  abroad,  his  travelling  tutor  was  the  celebrated 
Dr.  Moore,  who  obtained,  with  great  difficulty,  a 
dispensation  for  his  pupil,  before  being  presented  at 
Rome,  not  to  kiss  the  Pope's  toe,  on  being  informed 
of  which  uncommon  privilege,  his  Grace  angrily 
exclaimed,  "  I  would  on  no  account  omit  the  cere- 
mony !  That  was  the  only  thing  I  wanted  to  see 
the  old  woman  for  !"  In  his  last  illness,  the  Duke's 
favourite  amusement  was,  when  two  of  his  servants 
read  aloud  to  him  alternately,  both  speaking  in  the 
strongest  provincial  accents  of  their  native  coun- 
tries, the  one  being  from  Cmnberland,  and  the  other 


/b  INVERARY   CASTLE. 

from  Somersetshire.  I  should  have  recommended  a 
third  from  Aberdeenshire  ;  and  the  plan  might  then 
be  a  useful  hint  to  invalids,  if  they  were,  like  the 
patient  mentioned  in  the  Arabian  Nights,  who  could 
never  be  cured  unless  he  were  made  to  laugh.  No- 
thing can  be  more  melancholy  than  the  beautiful 
epitaph  on  Douglas,  Duke  of  Hamilton,  by  Mr. 
Dunlop,  which  ends  with  these  reproachful  lines, — 

Oh  !  gifts  neglected,  talents  misapplied, 
Favours  contemned,  and  fortune  unenjO)^ed  ; 
Here  baffled  Nature  stands  dejected  by, 
And  hails  the  shade  of  Douglas  with  a  sigh. 

Inverary  Castle  excels  in  tapestry,  and  the  draw- 
ing-room is,  as  Mrs.  Malaprop  would  say,  "  full  of 
goblins,"  all  first-rate,  the  figures  being  grouped  in 
easy,  graceful  attitudes,  though  rather  discoloured, 
while  the  flowers,  unlike  flowers  in  general,  have 
never  faded.  The  large  architectural-looking  gilt 
chairs  are  so  massy,  they  could  scarcely  be  called 
moveables,  the  covers  worked  entirely  over  with 
garlands  of  roses  ;  and  in  the  breakfast-room  hangs 
some  excellent  Flemish  tapestry,  representing  the 
shooting  of  wild  ducks,  in  which  the  sportsman 
seems  evidently  missing  his  aim,  and  the  birds  look 
mightily  unconcerned.  You  may  live  in  this  room 
a  year,  and  not  discover  a  door  cut  in  the  tapestry, 
which  leads  to  an  inner  room,  most  romantically 
secret  and  unobservable,  to  commemorate  which, 
Mrs.  Radcliffe  would  have  written  some  mysterious 


IN\''ERARY   CASTLE.  77 

adventure.  From  the  window  there  is  a  charming- 
view,  which  you  would  not  easily  tire  of  gazing  at. 
Among  the  gay  visiters  of  a  former  generation  in 
these  rooms,  an  amusement  was  long  earned  on  of 
conducting  a  domestic  newspaper,  containing  all 
the  adventures  which  daily  occurred  to  the  parties 
themselves.  Contributions  were  deposited  every 
morning  anonymously  in  a  box,  to  which  the  editor 
alone  had  access,  and  nothing  could  be  more  amu- 
sing than  the  wit  displayed  in  many  of  the  articles. 
At  length,  however,  they  became  rather  too  per- 
sonal, and  were  finally  discontinued,  on  a  gentleman 
becoming  seriously  oiFended,  who,  being  afflicted 
with  rather  too  long  a  nose,  found  a  paragraph,  an- 
nouncing the  safe  arrival  of  Mr.  R 's  nose,  and 

that  the  rest  of  his  person  might  be  expected  in  a 
few  hours. 

My  letter  is  growing  longer  than  a  double  num- 
ber of  the  Times,  therefore  I  must  now  set  seriously 
about  stopping.  We  find  so  much  to  see,  that  I 
seldom  have  an  hour  to  sit  down,  except  the  few 
minutes  occupied  in  writing  to  you,  and  if  the  wish 
to  entertain  could  ensure  its  own  success,  you  would 
have  no  reason  to  tire ;  but  I  shall  some  day  be  say- 
ing to  my  correspondents,  like  a  tedious  old  lady 
once  to  her  family,  who  had  become  exceedingly 
bad  listeners,  "  I  do  not  ask  much  of  my  friends, — 
only  to  occupy  their  sole  and  undivided  attention." 


DALMALLY. 


Exiles  from  the  town,  who  have  been  driven 

To  gaze,  instead  of  pavement,  upon  grass, 

And  rise  at  nine  instead  of  long  eleven. 

Byron. 

My  dear  Cousin, — You  may  have  observed  it 
mentioned  in  the  last  Edinburgh  Courant,  that  a 
sheet  of  paper  has  been  made  at  Cowan's  manufac- 
tory one  mile  and  a  half  long !  It  would  suit  me 
exactly  this  morning,  when  I  have  so  much  to  say, 
that  your  post-bag  will  need  to  have  a  large  addition 
built  to  it,  especially  now  when  w^e  are  only  to  pay 
a  penny  for  our  letters,  or  rather,  I  am  told,  we  are 
to  be  paid  something  by  the  very  liberal  ministry  for 
taking  the  trouble  to  receive  letters  at  all. 

Ossian  was  in  this  country  some  time  before  us, 
therefore  w^e  must  not  attempt  entirely  to  supersede 
his  writings,  as  poems  are  like  wine,  the  older  the 
better,  and  it  might  perhaps  be  difficult  to  hit  off 
anything  better,  especially  as  a  eulogium  in  prose 
on  mountains  is  not  half  so  bearable  as  a  rhapsody 
in  verse.  We  alw^ays  rise  with  the  sun,  and  travel 
as  long  as  he  does,  generally  averaging  about  six  in 
the  morning  for  setting  out ;  but  after  this  tour,  I 
propose  to  spend  some  time  in  the  Castle  of  Indo- 


DALMALLY.  79 

lence,  and  shall  perhaps  be  tempted  to  imitate  the 
plan  of  a  half-pay  officer,  who  desired  always  to  be 
awakened  at  six  for  parade,  merely  that  he  might 
have  the  pleasm-e  of  thinking  he  need  not  get  up. 

This  morning,  by  peep  of  day,  we  were  thread- 
ing our  way  through  the  hills  to  Dalmally,  W'here 
mountains  and  clouds  were  nearly  meeting,  though 
their  purple  outlines  continued  distinct,  and  the  whole 
scene  looked  dark  and  gloomy,  as  if  we  had  spilled 
a  bottle  of  ink  over  it.  Certainly  a  little  sunshine  is 
cheerful  sometimes!  Ben  Cruachan,  the  loftiest 
mountain  among  the  Alps  of  Argyleshire,  looked 
like  a  great  black  thunderbolt  that  moment  hurled 
to  the  earth,  and  it  has  a  special  right  to  be  admired, 
ha\'ing  been  honourably  noticed  by  Burke,  in  his 
essay  on  the  Sublime  and  Beautiful.  There  are  not 
many  hills  to  compare  with  this,  standing  three  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean;  and  on  so 
gigantic  an  eminence,  a  great  variety  of  sea-shells 
are  to  be  found,  which  must  have  been  deposited 
there  during  the  deluge.  These  cotemporaries  of 
Noah  w^ere  w^ell  worth  collecting,  to  adorn  your 
museum,  if  w^e  could  have  spared  five  minutes  to  run 
up  for  them ;  but  after  lying  there  so  long  at  rest, 
it  would  be  cruel  to  disturb  their  repose,  as  I  have 
no  new  geological  theory  to  establish  or  upset.  One 
of  the  mountains  in  this  neigbourhood  is  called  Ben 
Mak'money,  but  I  guess  it  is  not  a  ver)-'  lucrative 


bO  DALMALLY* 

property,  as  the  rent  would  be,  to  all  appearance, 
exorbitant  at  twopence  a-year,  and  the  poet  wisely 
remarks, 

"  What's  the  worth  of  any  thing, 
But  so  much  money  as  'twill  bring  1" 

The  Tourist's  Guide  Book  desired  us  to  expect 
a  charming  view  along  this  valley,  which  had  not, 
as  w^e  proceeded,  much  to  boast  of;  and  the  same 
misleading  informant  asserted,  that  the  road  along 
Loch  Awe  seemed  arranged  on  purpose  to  conceal 
its  beauties,  whereas  it  meandered  very  tastefully 
over  hills  and  glens  in  graceful  festoons,  tucked  up 
in  some  places,  and  sweeping  down  elsewhere,  in  a 
manner  very  becoming  to  the  country,  but  exceed- 
ingly fatiguing  to  our  one  horse.  We  w^alked  up 
the  steep  ascents  in  consideration  of  Mr.  Martin's 
act,  for  the  sake  of  our  hard-working  quadruped, 
and  I  would  quite  as  willingly  have  walked  down 
for  our  own  sakes,  as  we  frequently  seemed  on  the 
point  of  finding  a  short  cut  to  the  bottom,  sending 
the  gig  before  the  horse.  Some  parts  of  the  country 
are  very  bare,  and  before  the  heather  is  in  flower,  it 
looks  so  dry  and  scorched,  there  seems  no  vitality 
left ;  but  now  that  ladies  take  guns  on  the  moors, 
as  well  as  gentlemen,  I  w^ould  have  seen  it  to  more 
advantage  with  a  gun  in  my  hand  during  August. 
Did  you  hear  of  a  great  sportswoman  who  lately 


INISHAIL.  81 

distinguished  herself  by  shooting  a  noble  red-deer, 
and  when  it  fell,  she  fainted!  Perhaps  if  she 
had  fainted  first,  it  might  have  been  more  to  the 
purpose ! 

The  old  Cistercian  monastery  of  Inishail,  alias 
the  Beautiful  Isle,  stands  on  the  edge  of  Loch  Awe, 
quite  roofless  and  deserted.  "  All  green  and  wildly 
fresh  without,  but  worn  and  grey  beneath."  Now 
that  the  Roman  Catholics  are  so  rapidly  rising  into 
supremacy  again,  perhaps  a  colony  of  monks  may 
once  more  retire  there,  to  waste  their  useless  exist- 
ences in  a  life  of  selfish  indolent  seclusion,  supplying 
the  want  of  heartfelt  spiritual  devotion  by  the  mere 
pomp  and  ceremony  of  external  forms.  If  by  shut- 
ting out  the  world,  we  could  close  out  its  sorrows 
and  temptations,  this  Avould  certainly  be  the  very 
place  for  such  a  hopeless  experiment — the  monks 
having  been  buried  alive  amidst  wood  and  water ; 
but  as  old  St.  Jerome  candidly  remarked,  after  living 
some  time  in  his  solitary  cave,  "  Go  where  I  will, 
still  Jerome  is  with  m.e."  A  curious  instance  oc- 
curred lately,  showing  the  impositions  unhesitatingly 
practised  by  the  Popish  priests  on  their  congrega- 
tions. From  the  pulpit  of  a  crowded  chapel,  the 
text  given  out  by  a  Roman  Catholic  preacher  was 
taken  from  St.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  when 
he  began  by  gravely  remarking,  "  You  see,  my 
friends!  this  is  all  addressed  to  the  Romans!  it 
8 


82  KILCHURN    CASTLE. 

would  be  long  enough  before  St.  Paul  would  have 
written  such  an  epistle  to  Protestants !" 

Kilchurn  Castle,  on  Loch  Awe,  we  saw  next,  so 
beautifully  situated  on  a  wooded  peninsula,  that  it 
has  become  the  favourite  subject  of  landscape  paint- 
ers, two  of  whom,  Thomson  and  Macculloch,  the 
best  artists  in  Scotland,  lately  exhibited  rival  views 
of  it  at  the  same  exhibition,  when  parties  ran  high 
respecting  which  had  succeeded  best.  I  wish  either 
could  lend  me  his  brush  at  this  moment.  It  was 
garrisoned  by  Lord  Breadalbane  in  1745,  but  has 
since  been  struck  by  lightning ;  and  now  a  more 
picturesque  ruin  you  could  not  desire  to  behold  in  a 
long  day's  journey.  The  fragments  remaining  are 
both  extensive  and  irregular ;  besides  which,  they 
belong  to  a  story  which  might  have  been  worked 
up  into  a  tolerable  novel,  or  a  first-rate  ballad,  if 
Sir  Walter  Scott  had  found  time  to  enlarge  and 
embellish  the  incidents  with  a  few  of  his  own  pecu- 
liar touches ;  but  it  would  really  require  a  forty- 
Scott  power  to  illustrate  all  the  romances  of  real 
life  we  have  heard  in  this  neighbourhood.  The 
legend  of  Kilchurn  Castle  is  an  old  story,  but  wears 
well,  being  the  more  interesting  as  it  relates  to  the 
Lord  of  Argyll's  second  son,  who  founded  the  family 
of  Breadalbane.  This  fine  old  edifice  was  begun  by 
the  first  Lady  Campbell  of  Glenorchy,  during  her 
husband's  absence,  whose  affairs   having   become 


KILCHURN    CASTLE.  83 

embarrassed,  he  had  gone  abroad  to  serve  as  a 
Knight  of  Rhodes.  In  foreign  warfare  he  distin- 
guished himself  extremely ;  but  nothing  more  being 
heard  of  him  during  so  long  a  period  in  his  own 
country,  his  lady,  who  had  become  very  affluent, 
began  to  imagine  herself  an  inconsolable  widow, 
and  determined  not  to  remain  so  long.     You  have 

heard  of  Mrs.  P ,  who  played  at  cards  with  her 

lover  the  year  of  her  husband's  death,  staked  her 
grief,  and  lost  it !  Now  the  process  in  Lady  Camp- 
bell's case  seems  to  have  been  quite  as  summary, 
seeing  she  recovered  her  spirits  on  the  shortest  pos- 
sible notice,  and  entered  into  a  new  engagement; 
but  before  it  could  be  fulfilled.  Sir  Colin  was  in  full 
progress  homewards,  expecting  a  rapturous  recep- 
tion on  his  return.  Having  one  evening  joined  a 
jovial  party  at  an  inn  on  the  road,  he  was  shocked 
to  hear  a  gossiping  discussion  respecting  his  own 
supposed  death,  his  wife's  projected  marriage,  and 
the  splendid  new  castle  at  Kilchurn,  all  of  which 
seemed  to  his  astonished  ears  so  entirely  fabulous, 
that  he  must  have  felt  on  this  occasion  nearly  as 
much  out  of  place  as  the  man  who  attended  his 
own  funeral.  Nothing  is  more  irritating  than  to 
have  your  news  disbelieved  ;  and  the  stranger  who 
related  these  interesting  and  authentic  particulars 
became  highly  indignant  at  the  apparent  incredulity 
of  his  companion,  who  seemed,  as  the  Highlanders 


84  KILCHURN   CASTLE. 

say  when  thoroughly  perplexed,  "  unable  to  make 
top,  tail,  or  meal  of  it ;"  therefore  he  turned  to  Sir 
CoHn,  and  inquired  what  he  would  give  to  receive 
certain  proof  before  next  day  that  all  he  had  related 
was  true ;  and  having  been  promised  an  adequate 
donation,  he  instantly  disappeared.  Next  morning, 
before  Glenorchy  w^as  awake,  the  messenger  stood 
by  his  bed-side,  roused  him,  and  repeated  the  story 
as  he  had  told  it  before ;  but  seeing  his  auditor  still 
skeptical,  the  incognito  angrily  produced  Lady 
Campbell's  w^edding-ring,  bearing  Sir  CoUn's  name 
and  her  own  on  the  circumference,  and  confessed, 
that  to  prove  he  had  really  been  within  Kilchurn 
Castle,  he  had  stolen  it  off  her  finger  while  she 
slept.  Our  guide,  when  he  related  this  part  of  the 
tale,  gave  a  superstitious  shake  of  the  head,  and  re- 
marked in  an  under  tone,  that  "  certainly  this  extra- 
ordinary stranger  was  no'  canny. ^^ 

The  knight  immediately  sprung  upon  his  horse, 
galloped  off  at  full  speed,  and  reached  Kilchurn 
Castle  the  very  day  and  hour  when  his  successor 
w^as  to  have  been  declared  duly  elected.  In  the 
disguise  of  a  beggar,  he  surveyed  the  castle,  and  ap- 
plied so  importunately  at  the  gate  for  leave  to  see 
Lady  Campbell,  that  the  Highland  serv^ants  thought 
it  would  be  "  unlucky"  to  refuse ;  therefore  they 
prevailed  on  her  to  appear  for  a  moment.  A  well 
filled  cup  being  brought  to  him,  the  beggar  was 


KILCHURN    CASTLE.  S6 

desired  to  pledge  a  bumper  to  the  bride-elect,  which 
accordingly  he  did,  and  after  draining  the  last  drop, 
he  slipped  the  wedding-ring  into  the  empty  goblet, 
and  presented  it  to  Lady  Campbell,  who  instantly 
observed  the  token,  gave  a  startled  glance  at  the 
stranger,  and  recognised  her  long-lost  husband. 
We  may  suppose,  though  tradition  does  not  enter 
into  particulars,  that  hysterics  and  all  sorts  of  fine 
feelings  ensued,  and  like  the  conclusion  of  most  fairy 
tales,  they  lived  happily  ever  afterwards.  During 
the  present  day,  such  a  termination  w^ould  scarcely 
be  tolerated,  as  husbands  make  a  very  poor  figure  in 
most  novels,  which  seem  generally  written  to  defend 
the  misconduct  and  inconstancy  of  ladies.  We  find 
the  Charlotte  and  Werter  school  of  morality  coming 
rapidly  into  fashion  of  late,  in  which  every  wife, 
with  a  splendid  home  and  magnificent  establishment, 
is  an  amiable  martyr,  who  thinks  herself  so  unsuita- 
bly matched,  that  it  seems  inconceivable  how  she 
ever  got  into  the  scrape  of  being  married  at  all,  and 
she  finds  no  harm  in  confiding  her  sorrows  and  per- 
secutions to  some  sympathizing  paragon  of  a  cousin, 
or  discarded  lover,  for  whom  she  feels  nothing  ex- 
cept grateful  regard,  but  with  whom  she  of  course 
runs  off  at  last,  and  the  reader  is  expected  to  suffer 
agonies  of  pity  and  commiseration,  on  account  of  a 
denouement  which  the  whole  course  of  the  hero- 
ine's conduct  and  principles  had  rendered  inevitable 
8* 


S6  Locii  Awi:. 

iVoiii  the  (•()iiiUH'iici"ii(iit.  Il  \v;is  ;i  ^(uh\  rule  jiio- 
mulL;;il('(l  loiu;'  ;ii!;<),  lliiil  every  hidy  sliould  siij)))<)Sii 
there  is  l)u(  one  ^ood  Imshiiiid  in  liie  world,  <iiid 
liiat  slie  luis  been  loiiuiiiile  eiioiMj^li  to  iiiiirry  him, 
hut  modern  heroines  are  all  made  to  tiiink  exactly 
tlu'  reveis<'. 

The  e()tta|!;es  In  this  part  ol"  Arti;yleshire  are 
small  and  dilapidated,  hlie  ruinous  hee-hivi'S,  the 
stiaw  roots  hein*;  h<'ld  on  hy  rojx'S,  to  tlie  ends  ol' 
which  hca\y  stones  are  attached,  rcscmhlino-,  as 
Dr.  Johnson  said,  '"  a  row  ol"  curl  papers/'  I'he 
common  j)eo|)le  seem  generally  a  very  diminutive 
race,  with  hair  as  hlacU  as  their  cattle,  hut  have 
nood  ii'atuies,  and  their  manners  are  civil  and  ohli- 
<;in<i,".  Ill  respect  to  dress,  shoes,  stockinsj;s,  and 
hoimets,  are  not  mucii  worn,  and  the  lasliions  t()r 
this  month  are  while  muslm  caps,  dark  cotton 
oowns,  made  sliort  and  scanty  in  the  skirt,  and  nei- 
ther leather  nor  prunelhi  for  shoes  ;  hut  I  always 
maintain,  tliat  lor  hard-working  people,  the  custom 
is  both  wholesome  and  cleanly,  of  havintr  their  bare 
leet  washed  daily,  or  perhaps  hourly,  in  every 
stream  they  pass.  We  were  amused  to  hear  that  a 
Mahometan,  seein<(  some  women  once,  who  had 
walked  nearly  to  church,  hastily  hathino;  their  leet 
hel'ore  drawinir  on  their  sh()(\s  and  stockings,  grave- 
ly remark(>d  how  dillerent  were  the  sacred  ceremo- 
nies in  various  countries,  lor   he   had   always  been 


SfJOT'I'KMSMS'.  87 

accustomed  to  thiow  off  liis  slippers  before  enterlrii^ 
a  sacred  edifice,  but  Ihmc;,  he  observed  that  our  n-li- 
gion  enjoined  people  to  ])ut  th('ni  on. 

What  strange  and  laughable^  inistal<es  may  })e 
committed  by  even  the  most  intelligent  travellers, 
when  they  make  a  few  superficial  inquiries,  in  pass- 
ing tlu-ough  a  new  coiinliy!  An  Knglish  clergy- 
man, anxious  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  oiu* 
customs,  and  especially  with  Presbyterian  opinions, 
but  not  knowing  enough  of  our  dialect,  to  lie  awarc^ 
that  in  many  parts  of  the;  nr^rlli,  tin;  letter  "  i"  is 
])ronounced  like  an  "  e,"  sto])j)ed  one  day  wh(ae 
some  wT)men  were  collected  round  a  pond  of  muddy 
water,  preparing  il,  in  fjicl,  for  steeping  lint,  ;irid 
inquired  anxiously  what  they  were  doing.  The 
reply  led  him  to  suppose  that  some  unheard-oi'  jx-n- 
ance  was  inflicted  in  the  Highlands  at  particuhu- 
seasons,  as  the  women  replied,  with  on(;  iiccord, 
"  We  are  preparing  for  Lent,  vSir  !"  I  was  amused 
to  be  told  that  old  Lady  Perth,  indignant  at  hearing 
a  Frenchman  speak  contemptuously  of  porridge, 
imgrily  intf^rrupted  him,  with  an  allusion  to  her  na- 
tional horror  of  frogs,  saying,  "  Tastes  differ,  Sir ! 
some  folks  like  parritch,  and  others  like  jmddocks." 

On  another  occasion,  a  strangcM*  was  amazed  to 
hear  a  strict  divine,  when  intending  to  inculcat(;  on 
his  congregation  the  propriety  of  receiving  a  hint 
properly,  deliver  his  advice  in  these  words,  "  My 


88  SCOTTICISMS. 

friends !  be  ready  at  all  times  to  take  a  hunt ;"  and 
I  remember  seeing  an  Englishman  quite  perplexed, 
when  told  at  a  party  in  Scotland,  that  all  the  guests 
were  "  kent  people,"  not  meaning  to  imply  that 
they  came  from  the  county  of  Kent,  but  merely  that 
they  were  well-known  personages.  In  Scotland  a 
sore  is  called  an  "  income ;"  and  an  English  tourist 
would  be  rather  perplexed  if  a  beggar  came  up  to 
him,  as  an  old  woman  did  one  day  to  me  at  Porto- 
bello,  asking  charity,  with  a  most  pitiable  counte- 
nance, "  because  she  had  a  great  income  on  her 
hand."  A  legacy  to  any  charitable  fund  is  called 
a  "  mortification  ;"  and  you  might  hear  a  truly  be- 
nevolent person  say,  in  tones  of  exultation,  that 
"  he  is  happy  to  hear  the  blind  have  got  a  great 
mortification  in  Mr.  Smith's  will."  If  a  Scotch 
person  says,  "  will  you  speak  a  word  to  me?  "  he 
means,  will  you  listen  ?  but  if  he  says  to  a  servant, 
"  I  am  about  to  give  you  a  good  hearing,^''  that 
means  a  severe  scold.  The  Highland  expression 
for  two  gentlemen  bowing  to  each  other,  amused 
us  extremely  on  a  late  occasion,  when  a  Scotchman 
said  to  his  friend,  "I  saw  your  brother  last  week 
exchange  hats  with  Lord  Melbourne  in  Bond 
Street!" 

We  are  most  industrious  travellers,  and  now 
hurried  through  the  lands  of  Glenstrae,  originally  the 
property  of  a  Macgregor,  till  that  clan  was  cruelly 


LOCH    AWE.  89 

proscribed.  They  were  attacked  by  the  Earl  of 
Argyll,  and  Macgregor  bravely  defended  himself, 
till,  being  reduced  to  the  last  extremity,  he  sur- 
rendered on  the  express  condition  of  receiving  a  safe 
conduct  to  England.  "  A  Highlandman's  promise" 
was  formerly  proverbial,  being  kept  to  the  ear,  though 
not  to  the  letter,  of  which  this  unfortunate  landed 
proprietor  had  painful  experience.  He  was  carried 
quite  safely  to  Berwick,  after  which,  his  trusty  escort 
forced  him  back  to  Edinburgh,  where,  for  no  of- 
fence but  calling  his  house  his  own,  he  was  cruelly 
executed,  while  his  property,  like  Naboth's  vineyard, 
fell  to  the  share  of  a  rapacious  foe.  None  of  the 
Highland  songs  are  more  characteristic  and  spirited, 
than  the  melancholy  w^ords  of  that  persecuted  clan, 
"  The  Macgregors'  Gathering." 

The  moon's  on  the  lake,  and  the  mist's  on  the  brae, 
And  the  clan  has  a  name  that  is  nameless  by  day  ; 
While  there's  leaves  in  the  forest,  and  foam  on  the  river, 
Macgregor,  despite  them,  shall  flourish  for  ever  ! 

Loch  Awe  is  supposed  to  have  forced  a  new 
vent  for  itself  in  the  direction  w^e  now  pursued,  skirt- 
ing along  the  precipitous  banks  ;  and  here  certainly 
the  waters  have  squeezed  their  way  through,  where 
very  little  space  could  be  found,  between  two  ranges 
of  enormous  clumsy-looking  lumps  of  hills,  which 
scarcely  allow  room  enough  for  a  narrow  track  to 
wind  along.     Here,  as  is  usually  the  case  in  all  the 


90  LOCH    AWE. 

most  dangerous  Highland  roads,  we  had  not  one 
inch  of  parapet !  I  am  become  the  greatest  admirer 
of  a  good  substantial  stone  dike !  Our  driver,  as 
drowsy  as  the  fat  boy  in  the  Pickwick  papers,  fell 
asleep  every  instant,  on  the  shortest  notice,  unless  we 
aroused  his  attention  by  asking  a  question ;  and  you 
would  have  been  amused  at  the  ingenuity  with  which 
he  was  cross-examined  about  the  road,  as  if  he  had 
been  a  witness  in  a  court  of  justice,  merely  to  disturb 
his  slimibers,  for  he  could  have  slept,  like  Don 
Quixote,  mounted  on  horseback,  and  leaning  on 
his  lance. 

The  loch  gradually  narrowed,  until  it  seemed 
scarcely  decided  whether  to  be  a  lake  or  a  river,  but 
improving  in  beauty,  and  at  last  dashing  along  in 
fine  style,  over  large  precipitous  rocks,  while  the 
dark  masses  of  water,  rushing  tumultuously  past, 
were  enlivened  by  white  feathers  of  foam,  which 
glittered  in  the  sun.  Gradually,  however,  the  mist 
darkened  around  the  towering  summits  of  the  Ar- 
gyleshire  hills,  till  at  last  those  only  who  can  see 
through  a  mill-stone,  could  have  discerned  their 
outlines  at  all. 

Fourteen  miles  from  Dalmally,  we  reached  Tay- 
nuit,  a  small  remote  inn  situated  in  the  parish  of 
Muckairn,  where  our  attention  was  first  caught  by 
a  tall  grey  stone,  which  we  supposed  to  have  been 
coeval  with  the  Druids  ;  but  no  ! — this  modern  an- 


MUCKAIRN.  91 

tique  turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  numerous  monu- 
ments to  Nelson,  and  was  raised  by  the  iron-work- 
ers at  Bunawe,  at  their  own  sole  trouble  and  cost, 
thus  testifying  a  warmth  of  enthusiasm  quite  as  hon- 
ourable to  his  memory  as  any  more  elaborate  speci- 
men of  architecture. 

Here  I  w^as  surprised  to  observe  an  excellent 
church  and  manse,  in  most  deplorable  disorder,  the 
shutters  all  closed,  the  garden  a  picture  of  desola- 
tion, and  every  thing  apparently  testifying  that 
some  great  calamity  had  occurred  to  cause  their 
being  thus  forsaken,  therefore  we  applied  to  the 
innkeeper,  and  afterwards  to  the  parish  schoolmas- 
ter, whom  we  found  digging  in  his  own  garden,  to 
enlighten  us,  as  to  what  had  caused  this  melan- 
choly aspect  of  affairs.  It  turns  out  to  have  been 
all  occasioned  by  a  veto  perplexity,  which  has  kept 
this  parish  unoccupied  during  two  years.  The 
church  of  Muckairn  is  in  the  gift  of  Government, 
and  a  vacancy  having  occurred  in  August,  1837, 
four  clergymen  named  by  the  state  arrived  to  ex- 
hibit their  powers  in  the  pulpit,  for  the  purpose  of 
pleasing  their  auditors,  and  gaining  their  election 
to  the  vacant  charge.  Not  one  of  these  candidates, 
however,  gave,  or  could  by  possibility  have  given 
the  smallest  satisfaction,  because  the  congregation 
had  previously  determined  to  favour  a  farmer's  son 
in  their  own  neighbourhood,  and  thus  it  has  hap- 


92  MUCKAIRN. 

pened,  as  in  old  times,  when  a  partial  veto  law  was 
once  allowed  to  exist,  that  parishes  remained  vacant 
sometimes  for  several  years.  Meantime,  one  of  the 
four  Government  nominees  at  Muckairn  has  col' 
lected,  after  great  canvassing  among  the  numerous 
persons  entitled  to  vote,  eight  signatures,  which  are 
intended  to  pass  for  a  "  harmonious  call,"  in  conse- 
quence of  which  our  informants  seem  to  think  this 
active  candidate  will  be  precipitated  into  the  pulpit 
of  Muckairn.  At  present  that  parish  has  fallen  into 
a  state  of  temporary  heathenism,  having  only  been 
favoured  with  miscellaneous  preaching  one  Sunday 
in  three  weeks  from  the  Argyleshire  Presbytery,  so 
that  the  poor  ignorant  Highlanders  may  be  apt  to 
say  like  the  American  peasants,  "  We  are  not  Chris- 
tians, because  w^e  have  no  opportunity." 

As  no  clergyman's  principles  and  abilities,  even 
in  respect  to  preaching,  can  be  duly  weighed  at  a 
popular  election  or  rejection,  to  be  decided  by  a 
single  sermon,  private  visitation  of  the  sick  and 
dying,  which  is  far  more  laborious,  and  equally  im- 
portant, may  probably  fall  into  great  disuse,  and 
meantime  the  poor  people  of  Muckairn  are  in  many 
instances  now  sinking  into  the  grave  without  benefit 
of  clergy.  There  surely  must  be  something  amiss 
in  any  law  which  produces  so  lamentable  a  result, 
and  therefore  even  if  it  be  the  law  of  the  land,  there 
seems  no  advantage  in  reviving  it. 


MUCKAIRN.  93 

In  the  supplementary  chapel  of  A ,  a  case 

somewhat  similar  to  that  of  Muckairn  lately  occmTed. 
Three  candidates  were  named  to  compete  before  the 
people,  two  of  whom  gained  over  large  bodies  of 
keen  partisans,  but  the  third  had  only  one  advocate. 
An  eager  contest  arose,  much  angry  feeling  ensued, 
each  party  threatened  to  become  dissenters,  and  at 
last  the  solitary  supporter  of  the  unpopular  candi- 
date, by  hinting  to  each  party  how  very  probably 
the  opposite  faction  might  succeed,  induced  a  major- 
ity to  adopt  the  neutral  plan,  of  fixing  on  the  indi- 
vidual who  had  been  at  first  so  unanimously  rejected. 
Thus  the  single-handed  partisan  worked  on  the 
evil  passions  of  others,  to  bring  in  one,  who  took 
comfortable  possession  of  the  vacant  chapel,  and  has 
done  the  parish  duties  there  ever  since. 

We  had  already  passed  a  parish  which  had 
become  vacant  during  the  late  Duke  of  Argyll's 
life,  who  received  the  recommendation  of  a  suitable 
successor,  from  a  pious  and  esteemed  landed  propri- 
etor in  the  neighbourhood,  to  whom  his  Grace  re- 
turned an  answer,  that  being  pledged  to  support  the 
Veto  law,  he  had  determined  whichever  candidate 
sent  him  a  requisition,  signed  by  the  largest  majority 
of  voters,  should  receive  the  presentation.  One  of 
the  clergy  went  oflf,  on  hearing  this,  to  the  "  shinty" 
ground,  where  the  parishioners  were  assembled  in 
great  numbers  at  play,  and  gave  a  glass  of  whiskey 
9 


94  MUCKAIRN. 

to  each  of  those  who  would  sign  a  petition  in  his 
own  favour,  by  which  means  he  gained  the  election. 
I  know  of  one  vote  in  a  vacant  parish  having  been 
gained  over  from  the  opposite  side  for  a  pound  of 
tea,  and  if  a  hundred  votes  could  be  secured  at  the 
same  price,  supposing  the  tea  eight  shillings  a  pound, 
it  would  require  but  little  arithmetic  to  calculate  how 
veiy  cheaply  a  living  in  Scotland  might  soon  be 
purchased  by  bribery. 

When  Mr.  Gladstone  generously  offered  a  church, 
a  school,  and  an  endowment  at  his  own  expense  to 
the  estabhshed  church  of  Scotland,  a  majority  of 
pious  and  learned  clergjimen,  who  had  been  them- 
selves placed  in  pulpits  by  the  influence  of  patrons, 
thought  it  better  to  reject  these  important  gifts,  rather 
than  allow  the  continuance,  in  one  instance,  of  that 
power  by  which  they  had  themselves  been  chosen  ; 
and  this  principle  is  about  now  to  be  carried  out 
respecting  the  whole  of  Scotland,  where  most  of  the 
churches  were  gratuitously  reared  by  landed  proprie- 
tors, whose  representatives  have  since  been  patrons; 
yet  the  very  existence  of  our  national  estabhshment 
seems  apparently  considered  of  no  consequence,  if 
the  clergy  and  patrons  alone  continue  responsible 
for  the  choice  of  ministers,  unless  the  people  have 
power  superior  to  both ;  and  the  allegiance  of  every 
individual  to  the  sovereignty  of  Christ,  is  now  tested 
by  his  adherence  to  a  law,  for  w^hich  its  very  sup- 


MUCKAIRN.  95 

porters  seem  unable  to  find  any  distinct  warrant  in 
Holy  Scripture.  Doctrines  and  duties  are  there 
usually  stated  with  plainness  proportioned  to  their 
relative  importance,  and  while  the  most  minute  di- 
rections are  given  with  respect  to  the  divinely  ap- 
pointed Levitical  priesthood  in  the  Old  Testament, 
not  one  word  is  said  in  the  New  about  the  election  or 
rejection  by  universal  suffrage,  of  Christian  minis- 
ters. It  seems  not  sufficiently  considered,  that  the 
minority  on  such  an  occasion,  perhaps  one-third  of 
the  parish,  lose  all  their  privilege,  and  may  be  those 
who  are  most  competent  to  appreciate  the  candidate, 
even  on  scriptural  grounds,  and  that  the  aged  patri- 
archs and  experienced  Christians  of  the  parish  may 
be  those  who  are  entirely  out-voted  by  noisy  dema- 
gogues and  political  religionists. 

A  good  govermnent  is  as  indispensably  bound 
to  support  a  church,  for  the  purpose  of  watching 
over  the  souls  of  its  subjects,  as  an  army  or  navy  to 
protect  their  persons ;  but  if  the  Colonel  of  every 
regiment  had  to  canvass  the  men  for  his  appoint- 
ment, or  if  a  Captain  in  the  navy  owed  his  situa- 
tion to  the  suffrages  of  his  crew,  what  discipline 
could  he  ever  hope  afterwards  to  maintain  ?  We 
never  hear  of  children  appointing  their  own  tutors, 
students  electing  the  professors  at  college,  or  of  na- 
tions choosing  what  ambassador  shall  bring  them 
the  terms  of  peace. 


96  MUCKAIRN. 

It  is  acknowledged  by  the  best  Christians,  that 
the  preaching  of  the  cross  of  Christ  is  an  offence  to 
the  generahty  of  men,  and  yet  a  majority  in  every 
parish  is  expected  to  be  in  favour  of  strict  evangel- 
ical doctrine ;  but  even  if  they  were  so,  how  very 
liable  is  a  congregation  to  become  deceived  in  their 
estimate  of  strangers  appearing  in  the  pulpit  once 
or  twice  for  a  special  purpose !  It  was  discovered 
in  London  thirty  years  ago,  that,  when  the  Hon. 

and  Rev.  Mr.  L was  desirous  to  leave  town, 

and  found  it  inconvenient  therefore  to  preach,  his 
brother,  a  Colonel  in  the  Guards,  who  exactly  re- 
sembled him,  frequently  officiated  in  his  pulpit  with- 
out being  detected,  and  might  thus  have  imposed 
upon  any  congregation.  A  lawyer  or  doctor  could 
learn  by  heart  one  of  Mr.  Melvil's  sermons,  as  was 
recently  done  by  a  candidate  for  a  parish,  so  as  to 
please  a  country  congregation,  by  delivering  it 
"  extempore,"  and  thus  obtain  a  universal  suffrage. 
If  the  people  could  state  an  objection  to  the  moral 
or  religious  character  of  any  candidate,  which  ap- 
peared sufficiently  important,  it  would  then  be  most 
desirable  that  the  presbytery  should  have  power  to 
set  him  aside,  and  that  the  patron  should  call  in  an- 
other, but  it  surely  seems  a  degradation  from  the 
high  and  holy  independence  of  a  Christian  minister, 
that  he  should  undergo  the  judgment  of  a  mixed 
congregation,  who  have  power  to  reject  him  vdth- 


MUCKAIRN.  97 

out  rendering  any  reason,  and  that  he  should  have 
so  strong  an  inducement  to  seek,  by  "  the  enticing 
words  of  man's  wisdom,"  a  position  in  the  Church, 
for  which  he  has  aheady  obtained  the  far  better 
quahfications  of  eight  years'  dihgent  prayer,  study, 
and  reflection,  and  to  which  he  is  solemnly  conse- 
crated by  the  approbation  of  learned  and  devout 
clergymen.  On  them  the  responsibility  of  admit- 
ting only  well-qualified  teachers  is  most  emphatic- 
ally laid  in  that  impressive  injunction,  "  Lay  hands 
suddenly  on  no  man,"  while  we  see  that  St.  Paul, 
by  his  own  individual  authority,  without  reference 
to  the  people,  appointed  Timothy  and  Titus  to  the 
churches  of  Ephesus  and  Crete. 

If  "  perilous  times"  should  come,  when  "men 
will  not  endure  sound  doctrine,  but,  after  their  own 
lusts,  would  heap  to  themselves  teachers,  having 
itching  ears,"  a  parish  once  becoming  tinged  "vvith 
any  false  doctrine,  no  provision  w^ould  now  remain 
for  reclaiming  it,  as  every  heresy,  not  ob\ious  enough 
to  attract  censure  from  the  General  Assembly,  would 
be  increased  by  the  choice  of  candidates, — and 
whether  it  be  a  tendency  to  Antinomianism  or  Uni- 
tarianism,  it  will  be  equally  renewed  and  perpetu- 
ated. We  know  that,  in  all  other  cases,  the  de- 
mand causes  the  supply,  but  in  respect  to  the  preach- 
ing of  pure  and  holy  doctrine,  the  clergyman  hun- 
self  has  to  create  the  want  which  he  comes  to  satis- 
9* 


98  MUCKAIRN. 

fy,  SO  that,  where  instruction  is  most  needed,  it  will 
be  least  acceptable.  The  most  obsequious,  subser- 
vient, and  manoeuvring  candidate  will  now,  in  all 
probability,  cast  a  glamour  over  the  poor  people's 
minds  ;  and  even  in  my  ow^n  limited  sphere  of  obser- 
vation, I  have  already  known  three  flagrant  instan- 
ces, w^here  a  tutor  or  a  missionary  has,  at  first, 
almost  superseded  the  parish  clergyman  in  his  visi- 
tation round  the  district,  but  when  at  last  promoted 
to  the  vacant  pulpit,  has  become  notoriously  careless 
in  that  important  respect,  having  been,  to  all  ap- 
pearance, like  Sixtus  V.,  who  only  stooped  to  look 
for  the  keys  of  St.  Peter.  A  patron  has  extensive 
means  of  information  respecting  the  character, 
learning,  and  piety  of  those  w^hom  he  takes  the 
responsibility  of  appointing  ;  and  though  there  have 
unhappily  been  many  proprietors  criminally  reckless 
of  the  solemn  choice  they  were  called  on  to  make, 
yet  every  institution  in  this  world  is  so  defective, 
that,  in  all  cases,  there  can  only  bea  choice  of  evils. 
Few  would  intrust  the  gift  of  a  parish  to  any  one 
among  the  peasantry  or  manufacturers,  rather  than  ac- 
cept the  choice  of  an  educated  and  responsible  patron, 
still  less  does  it  seem  desirable  that  the  selection 
should  be  committed  to  the  whirlwind  of  a  multi- 
tude, whose  minds  will  be  swayed,  as  much  as  at 
any  other  contested  election,  by  stories  and  slanders 
against  their  opponents.     I  was  amused,  not  long 


MUCKAIRN.  99 

ago,  to  hear  of  a  hard-working  gardener  in  an  ob- 
scure Highland  village,  who  was  asked,  why  he 
voted  against  one  of  the  candidates  for  that  parish, 

when  he  replied,  "  I  never  heard  of  Mr.  M till 

he  came  here,  and,  of  course,  if  his  preaching  had 
been  any  way  remarkable,  his  name  would  be  bet- 
ter known  !"  In  East  Lothian,  also,  a  young  man, 
with  the  unanimous  approbation  of  the  parish,  was 
chosen  assistant  to  an  old  clergyman,  but  when  the 
church  became  vacant,  and  he  was  appointed  to 
succeed,  he  became  rejected  by  a  large  majorit)\ 
On  the  patroness  expressing  her  surprise  at  this  to  a 
farmer,  saying,  because  of  his  known  popularity  she 
had  given  him  the  living,  he  sharply  replied,  "Yes, 
Ma'am !  but  your  appointing  him  was  the  very  rea- 
son we  wad  na'  tak'  him !" 

Perhaps  the  greatest  misfortune  of  all  in  this 
new  system  may  be,  that  the  necessary  qualification 
for  voting  is„  to  attend  the  sacrament  dming  three 
years  previously,  which  gives  a  new  and  unheard-of 
motive  to  careless,  or  even  profane  men,  presump- 
tuously to  partake  of  that  holy  ordinance.  There 
can  be  little  doubt,  that  if  the  privilege  to  vote  for  a 
member  of  Parliament  could  be  obtained  by  similar 
means,  the  very  worst  people  are  those  who  would 
feel  the  least  scruple  in  availing  themselves  of  it 
politically ;  and  it  is  too  probable,  that  even  the 
terrors  and  solemnities  of  religion  may  not  be  suffi- 


100  MUCKAIRN. 

cient  to  keep  back  those  who  are  ambitious  of 
power,  in  bestowing  the  charge  of  a  parish;  for 
even  in  the  most  Christian  congregations,  a  great 
deal  of  human  nature  still  remains ;  and  if  the  privi- 
lege of  popular  election  to  a  church  be  Divinely 
given,  there  certainly  is  no  w^arrant  added  to  exclude 
any  from  voting,  whether  conmiunicants  or  not. 

Our  Saviour  sometimes  found  reason  to  check 
the  keenness  of  his  own  apostles,  when  they  zeal- 
ously contended  for  what  they  deemed  essential  to 
his  glory,  but  what  it  was  not  his  purpose  to  assume ; 
and  I  cannot  but  think  that  now  there  are  men  almost 
equally  ardent,  and  ahnost  equally  single-hearted  in 
their  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  but  who  are 
equally  exceeding  their  commission.  We  cannot 
bear  a  higher  testimony  to  these  venerated  and 
excellent  ministers,  than  to  think,  that  the  power 
which  raised  them  to  eminence  in  the  Church  must 
have  had  the  blessing  of  God  upon  it ;  and  that  no 
other  system  will  select  more  spiritually-minded,  judi- 
cious, or  edifying  pastors,  to  guide  us  unto  all  truth. 

But  these  are  subjects  so  deeply  serious  and  im- 
portant, that  you  and  I  are  not  likely  to  be  con- 
sulted on  them.  Let  us  then  hope,  that  while  the 
utmost  wisdom  of  man  is  now  employed  to  rectify 
that  question  of  Church  government  which  has  so 
greatly  agitated  the  country,  every  Christian  may 
unite  to  pray  that  the  great  and  only  Head  of  our 


MUCKAIRN.  101 

national  Church  will  Himself  direct  our  minds  as 
shall  be  most  for  His  glory  and  for  the  good  of  all 
those  whose  fathers  have  worshipped  during  many 
generations  in  our  national  Church,  and  who  would 
still  rather  pluck  out  a  right  eye  from  our  Establish- 
ment, if  the  veto  law  can  be  considered  one,  than 
sacrifice  the  whole  body  of  our  venerable  and  sacred 
institution  for  a  point  of  law  which  no  text  of 
Scripture  can  be  found  to  sanction.  The  sight  of 
this  desolate  parish  has  made  me  write  more  on  a 
public  question  than  is  perhaps  allowable  ;  and  you 

will  be  stopping  me,  saying,  like  Mrs.  E ,  who 

heard  another  lady  mention  in  company  the  beauty 
of  Bonaparte's  hand,  "  You  know  I  hate  politics !" 
I  was  amused  lately  to  hear  that  a  gentleman,  who 
voted  on  what  we  think  the  wrong  side  of  this  ques- 
tion, applied  one  day  to  a  lady  for  the  loan  of  some 
entertaining  book  to  amuse  his  leisure  during  a  short 
residence  in  the  Highlands,  so  in  order  to  rectify  his 
opinions,  she  maliciously  packed  up  that  bulky  vol- 
ume which  has  recently  been  published  on  "  The 
Auchterarder  Case !"  Let  us  hope,  during  the 
next  debate  at  the  General  Assembly,  that  we  shall 
see  the  good  it  has  done  him. 

Nearly  all  young  persons  in  the  Highlands  are 
now  so  accomplished  as  to  speak  two  languages  flu- 
ently. Those  who  are  born  to  use  the  Gaelic  tongue 
only,  often  start  for  Glasgow,  the  instant  they  have 


102  DUNSTAFFNAGE    CASTLE. 

realized  the  necessary  funds,  to  "  get  English ;"  but 
with  some  elderly  people,  it  is  necessary  still  to  use 
an  interpreter;  and  I  was  amused  to  hear,  that 
when  a  French  abigail  arrived  lately  among  some 
Lowland  servants,  they  brought  an  old  Highland 
laundry-maid  to  associate  with  her,  thinking  that 
two  persons,  each  so  totally  unintelhgible,  must 
surely  comprehend  one  another. 

When  the  Highlanders  observe  any  one  out  of 
doors  in  extremely  bad  weather,  they  say,  "  Ye're 
surely  owre  het  at  hame  !"  and  certainly  our  case 
to-day  looked  rather  suspicious  when  we  drove 
along,  during  some  hours,  through  an  almost  solid 
mass  of  mist  and  rain,  closing  the  eye  of  observa- 
tion, and  raising  the  umbrella  of  protection.  At  last, 
however,  a  bit  of  blue  sky,  scarcely  larger  than  a 
turquoise,  made  itself  visible,  and  gradually  the  eve- 
ning cheered  up  and  brightened,  till  we  beheld  the 
ruins  of  DunstafFnage  Castle,  with  the  sunbeams 
flitting  over  them,  as  rapidly  and  brilliantly  as  in 
any  diorama.  This  was  formerly  a  royal  fortress, 
under  guardianship  of  the  Campbells ;  but  by  some 
contrivance  or  other,  it  at  last  became  their  property, 
and  now  they  have  an  established  right  of  prescrip- 
tion for  some  centmies  at  least.  It  was  not  by 
deeds  on  parchment  that  possession  was  obtained, 
in  the  days  of  claymores,  bagpipes,  and  dirks;  but 
"  might  was  right"  in  those  times  when  a  stout  old 


DUNOLLY   CASTLE.  103 

Highland  proprietor  used  to  say,  he  would  disdain 
"  to  hold  his  lands  in  a  sheep's  skin." 

The  only  access  to  this  fine  old  castle,  situated 
on  a  perpendicular  rock,  nearly  surrounded  by  the 
sea,  is  by  a  narrow  outside  stair,  like  a  ladder,  so 
that  one  man  could  defend  the  walls;  and  here  tra- 
dition mentions  that  Robert  Bruce  once  held  a  Par- 
liament, at  which  all  the  M.  P.'s  spoke  Gaelic. 

We  next  caught  a  glimpse  of  Dunolly  Castle, 
a  finely  situated  place  belonging  to  the  very  ancient 
family  of  M'Dougall  of  Lorn.  In  these  antique 
towers,  when  guests  were  numerous  and  provisions 
became  scarce,  the  chief  of  M'Dougall  usually 
hoisted  a  table-cloth  upon  the  battlements,  which 
fluttered  in  the  breeze,  as  a  signal  of  distress,  when 
immediately  his  clansmen  flocked  round  him  with 
offerings  of  fish  and  game,  a  most  convenient  ar- 
rangement for  stocking  the  larder,  which  that  fam- 
ily should  never  have  discontinued. 

In  front  of  Dunolly  Castle  stands  an  isolated 
rock,  called  the  Dog's  Pillar,  which  rises  abruptly 
out  of  the  sea,  forming  a  most  picturesque  natural 
steeple,  the  summit  of  which  was  formerly  crowned 
by  a  fine  well-grown  tree,  flourishing  there  most 
conspicuously  until  a  fanciful  young  lady  unfortu- 
nately dreamed  one  night  that  a  treasure  was  buried 
beneath  the  root.  Without  a  moment's  delay  she 
rose,  bribed  a  gardener  to  escort  her  up  the  steep 


104  LINHE   LOCH. 

ascent,  and  after  digging  most  zealously  for  some 
time,  they  at  last  succeeded — not  in  discovering  the 
expected  treasure,  but — in  bringing  the  old  tree 
about  their  ears ! 

Passing  onwards,  we  gave  a  disapproving  look 
at  the  island  of  Kerrera,  where  we  saw  nothing  to 
admire,  till  we  remembered,  that  though  not  very 
beautiful,  it  belongs  to  history,  as  Alexander  the 
Second  did  it  the  honour  to  die  there,  when  prepar- 
ing to  lead  an  expedition  against  Macdonald,  Lord 
of  the  Isles.  In  one  respect  the  king's  death  was 
quite  a  romance  in  the  old  school,  as,  according  to 
tradition,  he  saw  three  supernatural  apparitions,  who 
warned  him  against  advancing ;  but  he  rashly  ne- 
glected their  injunctions. 

The  concourse  of  steam-boats  at  Oban  is  so 
great,  that  it  has  been  called  the  Charing  Cross  of 
the  Highlands ;  but  of  all  the  noisy,  contused,  and 
mismanaged  scenes  I  ever  encountered,  none  can 
compare  with  that  of  our  embarkation  to  proceed 
from  thence  to  Fort- William.  All  the  numberless 
boats  that  touch  at  Oban  are  appointed  to  meet 
there  at  one  particular  hour,  while  of  course  wind 
and  tide  never  permit  one  of  them  to  keep  time  ex- 
actly. The  assignation  takes  place  like  a  fashiona- 
ble dinner  party,  where  the  most  punctual  suffer  the 
whole  inconvenience,  weariness,  and  discomfort, 
while  the  latest  arrivals  are  eagerly  watched  for,  as 


LINHE   LOCH.  105 

an  affair  of  supreme  importance.  Om*  boat  was  the 
first  to  be  ready,  and  we  waited  five  hours,  do  not 
ask  me  whether  patiently  or  impatiently,  while  all 
the  bright  sunshine  of  a  beautiful  afternoon  faded 
into  darkness.  We  had  hoped  to  see  Linhe  Loch 
under  a  blazing  sun-set ;  and  now  every  house  in 
Oban  looked  like  a  manufactory  on  fire,  the  windows 
all  illuminated  with  the  golden  beams  of  departing 
light,  while  I  watched  till  my  eyes  ached  for  the  ex- 
pected vessels ;  but  after  darkness  had  closed  ai'ound, 
and  all  my  hopes  w^ere  extinguished  of  seeing  Loch- 
nell,  Airds,  Appin,  and  the  many  fine  places  we  were 
destined  to  pass  by  star-light,  the  last  tardy  steam- 
boat arrived  in  full  smoke,  bellowing  out  a  sort  of 
apology  for  detaining  us  so  long;  and  ha\ing  re- 
ceived from  the  Helen  Macgregor  half  her  cargo  and 
all  her  passengers,  w^e  set  off,  to  grope  our  way  up 
the  Loch,  with  a  cold  wind  blowing  in  gusts  down 
every  glen.  I  \\ish  we  knew  the  agreeable  art  of 
extracting  sunbeams  from  cuciunbers ! 

Linhe  Loch  is  so  completely  land-locked,  that 
even  if  the  wind  blew  double-reefed  topsails  else- 
where, the  sea  here  could  never  be  lashed  into  a 
respectable  storm ;  therefore  I  was  privately  much 
amused  at  one  lady  in  the  cabin,  who  remarked,  with 
an  ominous  look,  that  "  this  boat  had  been  always 
very  unlucky,  and  we  were  now  coming  to  the  most 
dangerous  part  of  the  Loch!" 
10 


106  CORAN   FERRY. 

Coran  Ferry  has  some  local  celebrity  for  its 
roughness,  an  amusing  instance  of  which  was  men- 
tioned. A  poor  soldier's  w^ife  having  embarked  for 
America,  exclaimed,  with  a  look  of  unspeakable 
thankfulness,  after  passing  it,  "  Are  we  safe  through 
Coran  Ferry  ?  then  the  worst  is  over !" 

I  am  not  intending  to  steep  my  pages  in  the 
bloody  old  traditions  of  long  vanished  years,  when 
the  Highland  rivers  ran  red  with  gore,  and  the 
mountains  echoed  with  cries  of  vengeance  and  slaugh- 
ter ;  for  in  many  cases,  the  chronicle  of  a  butcher's 
shambles  would  be  almost  as  interesting ;  but  here 
and  there  you  must  submit  to  be  told  a  few  long 
"  yarns,"  when  they  relate  to  any  very  characteris- 
tic incidents  not  generally  known. 

A  few  miles  beyond  Coran  Ferry  is  the  site  of 
an  old  castle,  which  once  belonged  to  the  M'Mas- 
ters,  a  clan  very  nearly  extinguished  by  their  neigh- 
bours the  Macleans,  one  of  whom,  in  ages  past,  ob- 
tained possession  of  those  ancient  walls  in  rather  a 
questionable  way.  He  was  a  bold,  daring  young 
soldier,  singularly  handsome,  and  on  account 
of  the  plume  he  wore  in  his  bonnet,  obtained  a 
nickname,  which,  in  our  day,  would  indicate  any 
thing  but  the  bravery  for  which  he  was  distinguished, 
"  Maclean  of  the  white  feather  !"  Having  received 
no  adequate  reward  for  great  ser\ices  rendered  to 
Macdonald,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  he  began  to  ask,  like 


CORAN   FEPvRY.  107 

your  friend  B ,  "  what  is  the  use  of  friends  who 

are  of  no  use  ?"  and  having  remonstrated  angrily  at 
being  thus  constantly  overlooked,  the  "  Island  King" 
offered  to  place  a  troop  of  soldiers  under  his  com- 
mand, that  he  might  help  himself  to  any  estate  he 
fancied,  but  whispered  in  his  ear  the  very  judicious 
ad\^ice,  to  "  loup  the  lowest  dike  he  could  find !" 
Accordingly,  Maclean  attacked  the  feeble  M'Mas- 
ters,  whom  he  conquered  and  slew^,  seizing  violent 
possession  of  all  their  property  ;  but  the  eldest  son 
of  that  unfortunate  chief  escaped  to  Coran  Ferry, 
and  loudly  shouted  for  the  ferryman  to  row  him 
across.  The  treacherous  knave  refused,  and  young 
M'Master,  having  fled  to  a  recess  in  the  glen,  was 
discovered  and  massacred  on  the  spot,  where  now 
his  cairn  is  still  to  be  seen.  Meanwhile  the  victo- 
rious Maclean  hurried  to  Coran  Ferry,  where  the 
boatman  loudly  boasted  of  the  cruelty  shown  to  his 
late  master's  son,  but  his  auditor  indignantly  ordered 
the  w^retch  to  be  hung  upon  his  oars,  saying,  "  If 
your  old  friends  were  treated  so  treacherously,  how 
would  you  treat  me,  were  I  in  equal  extremity  to- 
morrow !"  Since  then,  if  any  act  of  bad  faith 
meets  with  due  retribution,  it  is  called,  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood, "  Ferryman's  justice."  According  to  all 
the  rules  of  romance,  Maclean  of  the  white  feather 
should  have  lived  miserably,  and  died  some  calami- 
tous death,  as  the  pimishment  of  his  crimes,  but  it 


108  CORAN   FERRY. 

often  interests  and  instructs  me  to  observe,  in  actual 
life,  how  almost  invariably  justice  is  postponed  for 
another  world.  In  great  things,  as  well  as  in  trifles, 
there  is  no  justice  on  earth ;  and  this  is  a  solemn 
truth  to  remark.  Men's  motives  and  actions  are 
continually  misapprehended,  the  faults  and  follies  of 
one  person  bring  disgrace  and  sorrow  on  those  who 
have  no  share  in  them,  every  individual  is  either 
over  or  under-estimated  by  the  w^orld,  or  even  by  his 
most  intimate  friends,  and  those  who  originate  great 
discoveries  are  often  deprived  of  the  merit  by  others 
who  merely  adopt  them.  A  man  of  arbitrary  opin- 
ions in  religion  persuades  himself  and  others  that  he 
is  persecuted  by  those  w^ho  merely  differ  from  him  ; 
a  good  tempered  man  undergoes  the  blame  of  begin- 
ning a  quarrel  w^hich  he  has  done  all  in  his  powder 
to  avoid ;  and  a  superficial,  ignorant  man,  often 
makes  a  better  impression  in  society  than  one  of  the 
profoundest  attairmients.  In  short,  it  would  be  end- 
less to  multiply  proofs,  that  justice  is  not  for  this 
w^orld,  but  for  another  and  a  better. 

During  oiu"  progress  up  Loch  Linhe,  a  boat  was 
sent  ashore  at  Appin,  and,  as  usual  on  such  occasions, 
became  so  completely  overloaded,  that  I  expected 
every  instant  to  see  it  sink.  You  have  probably 
seen  children  try  how  many  shilKngs  could  be  slipped 
into  a  glass  of  water  after  it  seemed  perfectly  full, 
but  the  nicety  required  for  that  operation  is  nothing, 


APPIN.  109 

compared  to  the  hurrying  in  of  trunks,  baskets,  boxes, 
and  people,  which  takes  place  in  any  nutshell  of  a 
boat  boarding  a  steam-vessel  to  land  passengers. 
Among  the  last  hurried  voyagers  who  ventured  into 
this  medley,  was  a  plainly  dressed  girl  of  the  lower 
ranks,  but  one  of  the  most  perfect  beauties  I  ever 
beheld.  If  it  be  interesting  to  achnire  a  lovely  pic- 
ture, how  much  more  so  to  see  a  reality  that  excels 
all  painting,  as  we  did  on  this  occasion  ;  for,  though 
she  appeared,  like  an  apparition,  only  for  an  instant, 
I  never  shall  forget  the  momentary  vision.  Her  long 
black  ringlets,  which  seemed  to  curl  naturally,  were 
blown  about  in  rich  profusion,  her  profile  was  per- 
fectly Grecian,  she  had  eyes  such  as  Cleopatra  must 
have  worn,  and  teeth  like  the  pearls  she  melted  in 
vinegar.  I  always  suspected  till  now,  w^hen  reading 
Burns'  poems,  that  if  we  could  have  beheld  the  fair 
subjects  of  his  song,  something  coarse  or  vulgar  in 
their  appearance  would  have  dissolved  the  charm ; 
but  this  young  beauty  of  Appin  might  reahze  our 
most  refined  expectations  respecting  "  Highland 
Mary."  What  a  sinking  in  poetry  that  was,  when 
Lord  Byron's  "  Maid  of  Athens"  married  a  Scotch 
police  officer,  and  became  Mrs.  Black  ! 

Appin  House  is  the  seat  of  Mr.  Downie,  who 
had  once  also  a  seat  in  Parliament.  The  late  Duke 
of  Argyll  used  always  to  introduce  that  gentleman 
in  society  as  being  the  proprietor  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful place  in  Scotland ;  and  the  grounds  seem 
10* 


110  BEN   NEVIS. 

charming,  though  not  shown  off  to  much  advantage 
in  the  dark,  as  I  merely  descried  a  white  house,  ap- 
pearing like  a  ghost  through  the  mist,  and  behind  a 
dark  mass  of  what  we  were  credibly  informed  is  fine 
wood,  and  beautiful  park  scenery.  No  place  looks 
so  well  from  the  sea  as  elsewhere,  because  the  undu- 
lating valleys  and  flat  grounds  are  lost,  and  nothing 
is  visible  from  beneath  but  a  compressed  view^  of 
the  more  prominent  points  and  elevations. 

Long  after  midnight,  we  had  a  most  comfortless 
arrival  at  Fort  William,  where  the  inn-keeper  and 
his  aids-de-camps  were  all  unwillingly  roused  from 
their  sleep  to  give  us  admission,  and  grumblingly 
opened  a  door,  by  which  we  entered  one  of  the 
worst  inns  I  ever  yet  encountered.  The  windows 
were  without  shutters,  the  beds  without  curtains,  the 
doors  without  bolts,  the  floors  without  carpets,  and 
the  candlesticks  without  extinguishers,  but  in  the 
latter  case  we  were  expected  perhaps  to  do  like  vis- 
iters in  the  great  inns  at  Harrogate,  who  throw  their 
candles  out  of  the  window  at  night,  when  done 
with  them.  King  James  said  he  had  founded  Fort 
William  "  to  civihze  the  Highlands,"  but  I  wish  he 
could  have  civilized  the  inn  likewise,  and  diminished 
the  parish,  which  is  said  to  be  sixty  miles  long. 

Near  this  we  saw  the  steep  sides  of  Ben  Nevis, 
the  summit  of  which  is  covered  over  with  a  shining 
table-cloth  of  snow,  and  our  host,  who  seemed  to 
think,  like  Madam  de  Maintenon,  that  a  story  would 


FORT  WILLIAM.  Ill 

compensate  for  the  want  of  a  dinner,  related  at 
great  length  the  adventure  of  the  Duchess  of  Buc- 
cleuch  and  her  friends,  who  lost  their  way  last  year, 
when  ascending  this  hill,  the  name  of  which  he 
always  pronounced  "  Ben  Knavish."  This  anecdote 
is  evidently  his  favourite  subject  of  conversation,  and 
after  the  tale  has  been  circulated  a  few  years  longer, 
with  the  addition  of  as  many  wings,  legs,  and  arms, 
as  an  incident  of  the  kind  usually  acquires,  it  will 
grow  by  degrees  into  a  very  fine  tradition,  which 
might  almost  do  for  the  stage,  including  a  represen- 
tation of  the  farmer  who  went  out  to  rescue  the 
party,  glimmering  a  lantern,  and  ringing  a  dinner- 
bell,  to  guide  the  wanderers  into  safer  quarters.  A 
young  lady,  whose  friends  were  missing  some  time 
ago,  under  very  alarming  circumstances,  expressed 
the  greatest  astonishment  at  seeing  the  consternation 
of  those  around,  observing,  as  she  chew  her  chair 
comfortably  towards  to  fii^e,  "  At  the  very  worst,  you 
know,  their  bodies  will  be  brought  home  !" 

After  a  short  but  comfortless  sejour  at  Fort  Wil- 
liam, we  enjoyed  the  only  pleasure  that  the  inn 
there  can  afford  to  travellers,  and  that  is,  to  get 
away.  We  were  furnished  with  a  drosky,  di'awn  by 
the  most  miserable,  perverse  looking  donkey  of  a 
horse  I  ever  saw  in  harness.  We  should  have  re- 
quired a  red  hot  poker  to  set  him  off,  for  he  seemed 
as  immoveable  as  the  church  steeple;  but,  never- 
theless, the  hostler  stood  holding  his  head,  as  if  he 


112  FORT   WILLIAM. 

would  run  away  the  next  moment,  and  assured  me 
he  was  "  a  capital  goer."  As  all  the  post-horses 
were  already  engaged,  we  resolved  to  try  any  expe- 
riment rather  than  delay  our  escape  from  Fort 
William,  and  proceeded  forward  at  a  funeral  pace, 
the  driver  protesting  that  the  anunal  was  only  lazy 
and  obstinate.  I  sat  hoping  the  best  for  a  mile  or 
two,  but  became  at  last  perfectly  fatigued  with 
seeing  the  postboy's  efforts  to  get  on,  and  alighted 
to  walk  the  remaining  five  miles  of  our  journey  to 
Coran  Ferry,  wishing  the  driver  would  place  his 
unhappy  steed  inside  the  carriage,  and  draw  it  on 
himself.  Now,  at  last,  we  had  leisure  to  enjoy  the 
beauties  of  a  most  enchanting  road,  instead  of  suf- 
fering agonies  of  sympathy  for  a  poor  quadruped, 
probably  dead  before  this  time,  or  the  owner  ought 
to  be  prosecuted  under  Mr.  Martin's  act.  It  is 
painful  to  reflect,  even  for  a  moment,  on  all  that 
mankind  have  to  answer  for,  in  the  eye  of  a  merciful 
Providence,  for  wanton,  unprovoked  cruelty  towards 
the  noble  animals  given  for  our  use,  but  which  are 
likewise  intended  CAddently  to  partake  of  that  felicity 
bestowed  in  so  large  a  proportion  on  every  living 
creature.  Before  Bunyan,  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress, 
was  converted,  he  once  said,  in  a  moment  of  despe- 
ration, that,  "  as  hell  would  be  filled  with  torment- 
ors and  tormented,  his  only  remaining  hope  was, 
that  he  might  be  one  of  the  tormentors  ;"  and  there 
are  many  now  living,  who  seem  fitting  themselves 


FORT   WILLIAM.  113 

for  such  an  office !  Our  lives  here  are  a  rehearsal, 
previous  to  our  lives  in  eternity ;  therefore  we  are 
to  prepare,  and  exercise  the  good  or  the  evil  dispo- 
sitions, which  are  afterwards  to  be  perfected  in 
heaven  or  in  hell.  I  sometimes  think,  how  curious 
it  would  be,  if  our  happiness  in  another  world  were 
proportioned  to  the  happiness  we  occasion  around 
us  in  this.  Though  a  wiser  and  better  dispensation 
be  revealed,  yet  it  would  be  useful  occasionally  to 
think,  were  such  the  case,  what  share  of  enjoyment 
we  should  ourselves  be  entitled  to  expect.  A  law- 
yer lately,  travelling  in  the  mail  incog.,  remonstrated 
vehemently  with  the  coachman  for  maltreating  one 
of  the  leaders,  when  the  driver  inadvertently  defended 
himself,  saying,  "  Why,  Sir !  he  deserves  it  all,  for 
I  believe  he  was  an  attorney  before  he  was  a  horse !" 
One  consolation  for  the  introduction  of  rail-roads  is, 
that  travellers,  who  are  always  in  the  greater  hurry 
the  less  they  have  to  do,  may  now  rush  about  in 
coaches  from  place  to  place,  with  ceaseless  velocity, 
and  no  longer  incur  the  self-reproach  of  seeing 
what  worn-down  skeletons  of  horses  await  them  at 
every  stage,  which  are  lashed  into  temporary  activity 
for  their  use,  foaming  and  gasping  out  their  very 
lives  with  exhaustion,  while  death  alone  can  ever 
bring  them  rest  or  ease. 

It  has  always  appeared  to  me,  that  there  are 
pleasures  in  the  life  of  a  landed  proprietor,  residing 
on  his  own  estate,  greater  than  any  other  station 


114  ARDGOWER. 

can  afford  ;  and  if  you  doubt  it,  examine  the  estate 
of  Ardgower,  one  of  the  most  beautifully  situated 
places  in  Scotland,  embellished  with  extensive 
woods,  planted  by  the  proprietor  himself.  There 
the  tenants  seem  all  thriving,  the  labourers  employ- 
ed, the  children  educated,  and  every  thing  bears 
obvious  testimony  to  the  active  personal  superin- 
tendence of  a  liberal  and  judicious  landlord.  The 
situation  is  magnificent  at  Ardgower,  where  Colonel 
Maclean  has  a  circle  of  lofty  mountains  for  his  park 
wall.  Loch  Leven  acts  the  part  of  a  fish-pond,  and 
Ben  Nevis,  crowned  with  perpetual  snow,  supplies 
the  pl-ace  of  an  ice-house.  Here  every  proprietor 
might  wish  to  emulate  one,  who,  as  far  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  walk  on  a  long  summer's  day,  sees  every 
acre  improved,  and  every  individual  benefited  by 
his  own  unceasing  care ;  while  the  tenants,  instead 
of  being  oppressed  and  neglected,  have  become  at- 
tached during  long  years  of  personal  intercourse  and 
mutual  kindness.  I  could  expatiate  at  great  length, 
on  the  pleasure  of  spreading  happiness  and  prosper- 
ity around  us,  on  every  side,  as  we  see  it  here ;  but 
you  know  mine  is  a  patent  writing-desk,  which  re- 
mains open  along  the  highroad,  and  shuts  with  a 
spring  the  moment  I  see  any  living  individual, 
therefore  it  is  now  rapidly  closing,  and  I  have  only 
time  to  bid  you  adieu,  and  to  assure  you,  that,  in 
society,  we  consider  every  circle,  however  agreea- 
ble, only  a  semicircle,  unless  you  are  of  the  party. 


ARDGOWER. 


Land  of  proud  hearts,  and  mountains  grey, 
Where  Fingal  fought,  and  Ossian  sung. 

My  Dear  Cousin, — ^You  are  probably  not  too 
busy  with  your  worsted  work  and  Nicholas  Nick- 
leby,  to  care  for  the  continuation  of  our  life  and  ad- 
ventures, during  our  north-west  passage  to  Skye, 
which  will  probably  occupy  a  hundred  and  one 
nights  at  least,  though  we  have  hurried  so  rapidly 
from  post  to  pillar,  in  gigs,  chaises,  and  ferry-boats, 
through  a  wilderness  of  mountains,  rivers,  bays,  and 
straits,  that  I  have  scarcely  found  time  to  ask  my- 
self how  I  do.  We  shall  soon  have  occasion  to 
sing,  "  Lochaber  no  more  !"  being  about  finally  to 
leave  this  wild,  beautiful,  and  hospitable  neighbour- 
hood, where,  having  been  promised  a  lease  of 
ground  for  less  than  nothing,  I  am  already  building 
no  less  than  thirty  imaginary  cottages. 

We  yesterday  drove  about  twenty  miles  through 
the  estate  of  Ardgower,  along  a  road  like  a  fine  ap- 
proach, skirting  Loch  Linhe,  adorned  by  trees,  and 
displaying  a  distinct  view  of  some  charming,  pros- 
perous-looking farm-houses,  near  one  of  which, 
where  a  double  glen  branched  off  from  the  shore. 


116  ARDGOWER. 

we  saw  the  place  where  the  last  true  Highlander  of 
the  old  school,  Glengarry,  was  so  unfortunately 
killed  some  years  ago.  The  steamboat  in  which  he 
and  his  family  embarked  struck  on  ^  rock  we  passed, 
so  close  to  the  shore,  that  there  scarcely  seemed 
reason  to  apprehend  the  slightest  danger ;  but  a 
sudden  panic  seized  the  passengers,  who  all  hast- 
ened to  land.  Glengarry,  accustomed  to  exercise 
the  agility  of  a  Celt,  leaped  out  of  the  boat  on  a 
slippery  rock,  but  fell  forwards  on  his  head,  and 
fractured  his  skull,  of  which  in  a  few  hours  he  died. 
Glengarry  was  the  intimate  friend  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  and  supplied  him  with  many  traits  of  High- 
land character,  and  with  innumerable  anecdotes  of 
broadswords  and  claymores,  several  of  which  I  have 
heard  him  relate  \\dth  prodigious  spirit,  when  he 
was  dressed  in  his  splendid  Highland  garb,  to  a 
circle  of  English  strangers,  who  listened  with  eager 
interest,  though  their  own  countrymen  were  always 
sure  to  make  a  very  indifferent  appearance  in  his 
Celtic  stories.  After  the  last  disastrous  accident, 
seeing  his  family  alarmed.  Glengarry,  who  did  not, 
according  to  the  Scotch  expression,  "  take  death  to 
himself,"  calmly  remarked,  that  he  had  survived 
many  a  heavier  blow,  but  soon  after  fell  into  con- 
vulsions, and  expired. 

You  might  live  quite  luxuriously  on  the  cottage 
fare  of  this  neighbourhood,  and  even  Dr.  Redgaunt- 


ARDGOWER.  117 

let  or  Sir  William  Curtis  would  scarcely  have  dis- 
dained to  partake  of  "  that  excellent  dish,  pot-luck." 
Herrings  are  caught  in  shoals  by  those  who  take 
the  trouble,  but  all  over  Scotland  a  great  indiffer- 
ence unfortunately  exists  among  the  common  peo- 
ple about  eating  fish,  which  might  be  a  source  of 
so  much  abundance  on  their  tables.  Fuel  may  be 
had  on  the  moors  merely  for  cutting  it,  though  an 
old  woman  remonstrated  lately  with  one  of  the 
great  landed  proprietors  in  a  tone  of  grave  indigna- 
tion, saying,  "  If  ye  go  on  improving  this  way,  what 
are  we  poor  folk  to  do  for  peats  ?"  I  hope  they 
may  all  become  rich  enough  to  buy  coals,  but  it  cer- 
tainly may  be  a  hardship,  as  the  endurance  of  even 
hunger  itself,  bad  as  that  is,  may  be  rendered  more 
tolerable,  if  the  sufferers  be  only  warm. 

The  poor  tenants  in  this  part  of  Argyleshire,  by 
paying  a  rent  of  only  jBIO  a-year,  become  entitled 
to  a  comfortable  cottage,  and  a  little  croft  in  which 
to  grow  potatoes,  besides  being  allowed  pasture  for 
a  cow,  or  for  a  couple  of  sheep.  Who  could  wish 
for  more  ?  None  of  them  are  puzzled,  however, 
like  the  lady  who  consulted  you,  whether  to  keep  a 
cow  or  a  pianoforte.  We  have  encountered  neither 
beggars,  pedlars,  highwaymen,  nor  turnpikes,  on 
any  of  these  West  Highland  roads,  therefore  travel- 
lers might  almost  leave  their  purses  at  home  without 
finding  it  out.  I  have  only  once,  during  our  journey, 
11 


118  ARGYLESHIRE. 

been  asked  for  charity,  by  a  tidily  dressed  blind  wo- 
man, near  Fort  William,  and  those  who  suffer  under 
such  a  privation,  are  legitimate  objects  to  relieve, 
without  any  apprehension,  as  in  some  cases,  that  by 
giving  sixpence,  you  do  five  shillings  worth  of  harm. 
Begging  has  been  introduced  at  many  remote  places 
by  travellers  thoughtlessly  volunteering  donations, 
which  have  accustomed  people  to  the  degradation 
of  accepting  alms,  whereas  the  good  old  Scottish 
maxim  should  be  maintained  to  the  very  last,  "  a 
shilling  earned  is  worth  two  shilhngs  begged."  A 
nobleman  in  the  Highlands,  well  known  for  his  in- 
discriminate liberality,  was  one  day  remonstrated 
with  by  a  friend  for  thus  encouraging  idleness  and 
profligacy,  by  giving  undeserving  applicants  more 
than  an  industrious  man  could  earn  by  a  hard  day's 
labour,  to  which  he  merely  replied,  "  If  the  poor 
creatures  add  vice  to  poverty,  so  much  the  worse  for 
them !"  It  has  been  calculated  that  Oxford  Street, 
well  begged,  is  worth  seven  shillings  a  day,  and  for 
sweeping  some  of  the  crossings  in  the  Strand,  a 
larger  income  may  be  obtained,  than  for  officiating 
in  one  of  the  London  chapels. 

The  w^omen  here  generally  spin  and  weave  their 
own  dresses,  as  well  as  the  checked  black  and  w^hite 
plaid  worn  by  their  husbands,  which  looks  so  like  a 
stone  at  some  distance,  that  it  makes  the  best  of  all 
shooting  dresses  for  sportsmen  to  wear  when  deer- 


GAELIC.  119 

stalking.  Tartan  is  hardly  ever  worn  here,  and  when 
any  traveller  appears  equipped  in  it,  the  Highlanders 
exclaim,  "  There  goes  a  fool  or  an  Englishman  !" 
I  was  amused  to  hear  that,  last  year,  when  a  Bishop 
appeared  in  the  north,  with  his  apron  on,  the  coun- 
try people  said,  "  What  an  extravagant  man  that  is, 
to  wear  the  kilt  and  the  trews  both  at  once  !"  Tar- 
tan is  suspected  to  be  by  no  means  an  ancient  manu- 
facture, and  kilts  especially  are  comparatively  modern, 
as  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  are  represented  in 
any  very  ancient  Scottish  portraits,  though  opinions 
differ  indeed,  as  to  what  constitutes  antiquity.  An 
old  housekeeper  was  asked,  not  long  ago,  if  the 
pictures  she  showed  were  very  ancient,  to  which  she 
emphatically  replied,  "That  they  are!  for  to  my 
certain  knowledge  they  have  been  in  the  house 
these  thirty  years  !" 

The  Highlanders'  partiality  for  their  native  lan- 
guage still  continues  prevalent  here,  and  in  a  church 
where  I  saw  a  crowded  congregation  for  the  Gaelic 
service,  the  very  few  who  remained  to  hear  it  in 
English,  might  all  have  walked  out  at  the  door 
abreast  without  jostling.  A  Gaelic  psalm  was  af- 
terwards sung  through  the  noses  of  the  congregation, 
like  a  concert  of  Jew's-harps,  which  had  a  strange 
effect,  but  every  individual  unites  his  voice  in  the 
general  chorus,  which  is  a  great  advantage  over 
many  assemblies  of  better  taught  singers,  where  it 


120  GLENCOE. 

is  sometimes  much  to  be  regretted,  how  few  venture 
to  throw  in  their  note  of  praise.  Knowing,  as  we 
do,  that  the  melody  of  the  heart  is  what  alone  ren- 
ders even  the  finest  harmony  acceptable,  we  should, 
on  no  account,  withhold  ourselves  from  joining  in 
that  which  is  the  most  important  part  of  public  wor- 
ship. The  sermon  is  intended  to  teach  us  those 
sentiments  and  principles  w^hich  tune  our  hearts  to 
praise,  the  prayers  are  to  ask  for  that  sanctification 
of  heart  which  may  render  our  worship  acceptable, 
but  the  nearest  approach  a  congregation  can  make 
on  earth,  to  the  feelings  of  the  angels  in  heaven,  is, 
when  they  lift  up  their  hearts  with  their  voices  in 
solemn,  grateful,  thankfulness  to  the  Author  of  their 
being.  So  fully  conscious  were  the  old  Cameroni- 
ans  of  this,  that  no  personal  danger  could  deter  them 
from  raising  a  full  chorus  in  singing  their  psalms, 
so  that  frequently  English  soldiers  were  guided  to 
the  dens  and  caves  where  those  persecuted  Chris- 
tians w^ere  concealed,  when  the  still  watches  of  the 
night  were  disturbed  by  a  peal  of  melody,  poured 
from  the  hearts  of  those  who  confidently  suffered  the 
whole  will  of  God  on  earth,  gratefully  looking  for 
the  fulfilment  of  their  highest  hopes  and  wishes  in  a 
better  world. 

To-day  we  resolved  "  to  progress"  through  the 
celebrated  Glencoe,  and  being  unable  to  find  a  char- 
iot and  four  at  the  Ferry  of  Balachuhsh,  we  stepped 


GLENCOE.  121 

into  an  elegant  green  tax-cart,  not  furnished  with 
the  newest  patent  axle  or  springs,  but  nevertheless 
veiy  endurable,  and  committed  ourselves  to  the 
guidance  of  an  old  ambling  grey  horse,  whose  paces 
would  have  made  no  great  sensation  at  Tattersals, 
but  perfectly  suited  our  purpose  of  ^4ewing  at  lei- 
sure the  succession  of  magnificent  landscapes,  claim- 
ing our  admiration  along  Loch  Leven — not  Queen 
Mary's  Loch  Leven,  but  another  much  more  beau- 
tiful, an  arm  of  the  sea,  or  rather,  a  mere  finger,  as 
it  is  so  narrow,  that  those  who  live  on  the  banks 
often  cross  and  recross  it  four  times  in  one  day  to 
pay  visits. 

The  pass  of  Glencoe  has  one  great  advantage 
over  its  Welsh  rival  Llanberris,  that  here  a  deeply 
tragical  catastrophe  actually  took  place,  such  as 
those  ferocious  mountains  appear  formed  on  purpose 
to  witness.  You  might  fancy  that  a  funeral  pail 
had  been  thrown  over  their  dark  and  rugged  forms 
ever  since  the  massacre,  and  that  the  wind  howling 
over  their  shattered  summits  was  the  cry  of  the 
murdered  Macdonalds,  not  yet  laid  at  rest,  and  call- 
ing down  vengeance  on  their  treacherous  visiters. 

When  our  guide  awakened  the  echoes  with  a 
shout,  it  reminded  me  how  those  rocks  and  glens 
had  once  repeated  the  cries  of  many  vainly  asking 
for  mercy,  and  that  the  last  sigh  of  the  brave  High- 
landers had  been  breathed  on  the  spot  where  we 
11* 


122  GLENCOE. 

stood.  The  Campbells  should  carry  their  arms  re- 
versed whenever  they  pass  through  this  dark  scene 
of  their  treachery.  It  appears  that  Lord  Breadal- 
bane  concealed  from  Kino-  William  that  the  Mac- 
donalds  had  submitted  to  his  government,  having 
found  them  rather  untractable  respecting  a  sum  of 
.£20,000  with  which  he  had  himself  been  intrusted 
for  distribution  among  the  chiefs.  When  asked, 
some  time  afterwards,  to  account  for  this  public 
money  thus  intrusted  to  him,  he  merely  replied, 
"  The  money  is  spent, — the  Highlands  are  quiet, — 
and  this  is  the  only  way  of  accounting  among 
friends !"  Meantime,  Captain  Campbell  of  Glen- 
lyon,  the  leader  employed  on  this  occasion,  was 
nearly  connected  with  Macdonald  of  Glencoe,  and 
arrived  at  his  house  on  pretext  of  paying  a  friendly 
visit,  accompanied  by  a  detachment  of  his  troops, 
who  seem  all  to  have  been  most  hospitably  enter- 
tained, and  to  have  spent  a  fortnight  very  agreeably, 
in  eating,  drinking,  playing  at  cards,  and  associating 
on  friendly  terms  with  their  intended  victims.  Fon- 
tenelle  says,  that  "  the  way  to  live  long  in  this 
world  is,  to  have  a  good  stomach  and  a  bad  heart," 
both  of  which  the  guests  at  Glencoe  seem  to  have 
had  in  an  eminent  degree,  as  they  partook  of  a 
hearty  supper  with  their  hosts  before  proceeding  to 
business.  It  is  difficult  for  ordinary  minds  to  ima- 
gine how  a  man  would  feel,  carrying  an  order  in 


GLENCOE.  123 

his  pocket  for  the  total  massacre  of  a  pleasant  fam- 
ily circle,  with  which  he  had  been  some  time  do- 
mesticated ;  but  the  position  is  fortunately  not  a 
common  one.  In  the  silence  of  midnight,  when 
their  unsuspicious  host  was  asleep,  Captain  Camp- 
bell and  his  men,  fearing  the  extraordinary  bodily 
strength  for  which  Macdonald  was  distinguished, 
stole  into  his  room  like  cowardly  banditti,  and 
poured  a  simultaneous  volley  of  shot  into  his  breast 
while  he  slumbered,  thus  hurrying  him  unprepared 
into  the  long  sleep  of  death.  An  indiscriminate 
slaughter  then  ensued,  of  eight  and  thirty  individu- 
als, all  unarmed  and  defenceless,  while  some  of  the 
more  active  escaped  by  flight.  Many  women,  who 
had  rushed  out  on  the  hills  carrying  children  in  their 
arms,  perished  that  night  from  extreme  cold,  and 
we  may  adapt  the  lines  of  Campbell  to  this  occa- 
sion,— 

"  The  snow  became  their  winding-sheet, 
And  many  a  turf  beneath  their  feet 
Became  a  soldier's  sepulchre." 

It  is  almost  a  satisfaction  to  know,  that  Camp- 
bell of  Glenlyon  afterwards  felt  agonies  of  remorse, 
and  retired  from  the  army  in  deep  despondency. 
Having  been  appointed  to  superintend  the  execu- 
tion of  a  soldier,  for  whom  he  was  desired  at  the 
very  last  moment  to  produce  a  reprieve,  he  drew  it 


124  GLENCOE. 

from  his  pocket  in  so  much  haste,  that  his  handker- 
chief dropped,  which  was  the  signal  previously  ap- 
pointed for  firing,  and  before  he  could  speak,  the 
unfortunate  criminal  was  no  more.  In  great  horror 
of  mind  he  retired  from  the  army  immediately,  say- 
ing, "  The  curse  of  Glencoe  is  upon  me  !"  Such  a 
sudden  and  complete  consciousness  of  retribution  is 
indeed  awful,  and  I  often  think  there  could  scarcely 
be  a  greater  punishment  for  wicked  men,  than  being 
obliged  to  live  their  lives  over  again,  not  mere- 
ly with  an  entire  sense  of  their  guilt  and  folly,  for- 
cing them  to  see  at  every  step,  as  an  angel  might 
do,  how  fearfully  they  were  mistaking  the  way  to 
happiness  ;  but  also,  that  they  should  be  thoroughly 
known  to  each  friend  with  wdiom  they  associated, 
every  motive,  intention,  wish,  and  feeling  stripped 
of  all  disguise,  and  clearly  read,  as  if  they  lived  in 
the  Palace  of  Truth.  How  important  a  check  would 
be  laid  on  the  conduct  of  men,  even  in  trifles,  if  they 
could  think  of  the  shame  with  which  it  would  cover 
them,  could  the  companion  with  whom  they  are  as- 
sociating become  suddenly  aware  that  he  w^as  an 
object  of  ridicule  instead  of  respect ;  or  if  the  heir, 
watching  with  assiduous  attention  by  the  sick-bed 
of  a  dying  relative,  could  be  seen  inwardly  calcula- 
ting the  probable  amount  of  his  succession ;  or  if, 
when  we  are  attending  reverently  in  appearance  to 
the  service  in  church,  it  were  to  become  suddenly 


GLENCOE.  125 

known  to  the  preacher  and  congregation,  that  our 
thoughts  were  really  wandering  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  a  thousand  vanities !  K  the  festivities  of 
Glencoe  were  again  to  be  acted  over,  with  a  mutual 
consciousness  of  secret  hatred  and  approaching 
treachery,  could  we  imagine  any  penance  more 
painful  to  even  the  hard  and  cold-hearted  Glenlyon ! 
Such  a  consciousness  respecting  our  own  actions, 
and  such  a  knowledge  of  secret  thoughts  in  the 
minds  of  others,  will  take  place  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment; and  it  would  be  well  now  if  we  could  fre- 
quently pause  to  examine  how  our  thoughts  and  ac- 
tions will  then  stand  the  scrutiny  of  our  own  awa- 
kened consciences,  as  well  as  of  an  assembled  world, 
and  a  righteous  Judge. 

Among  the  savage  mountains  of  Glencoe  Ossian 
was  born,  if  ever  he  was  born  at  all,  which  some 
people  doubt.  How  wearied  every  mortal  is  of  the 
argument,  whether  "  Fingal  lived,  or  Ossian  sung," 
but  I  can  only  say  on  this  subject,  like  the  prime 
minister  in  Tom  Thumb,  "  as  near  as  I  can  guess  I 
cannot  tell !"  Even  the  admirable  Crichton,  who 
challenged  the  whole  world  to  argue  with  him 
"  upon  every  subject  knowable,"  would  probably 
have  been  satisfied  to  consider  this  as  one  of  those 
secrets  in  the  world  that  we  must  live  and  die  in 
ignorance  of  Ossian  is  now,  to  use  his  own  lan- 
guage, "  like  a  beam  that  has  shone,  like  a  mist  that 


126  GLENCOE. 

has  fled.  His  voice  is  heard  no  more,  his  days  are 
with  the  years  that  are  passed,  and  the  halls  of  his 
father  have  forgotten  his  steps."  These  poems, 
whatever  be  their  origin,  have  many  eager  admirers, 
and  were  the  only  verses  that  Bonaparte  ever  seems 
to  have  liked,  perhaps  approving  of  the  poet's  ad- 
vice, "  Be  a  stream  of  many  tides  against  the  foes 
of  thy  people,  but  like  the  gale  that  moves  the 
grass  to  those  who  are  thy  friends." 

Ossian's  cave,  one  of  the  most  striking  objects 
in  Glencoe,  looks  like  a  lion's  den,  excavated  in  the 
centre  of  a  precipice,  and  is  nearly  inaccessible  to 
the  foot  of  man.  One  enterprising  shepherd  formerly 
scrambled  high  enough  to  reach  his  hand  in,  and 
pluck  a  tuft  of  grass.  Tradition  says,  too,  that  a 
man  actually  did  succeed  in  getting  in,  but  has 
never  since  been  heard  of ;  therefore  some  people 
say  he  is  dead,  others  that  he  is  alive,  but,  for  my 
part,  like  the  Irishman,  I  believe  he  is  neither  the  one 
nor  the  other. 

There  was  an  old  woman  that  liv'd  on  a  hill, 
And  if  she's  not  gone,  she  is  living  there  still, 

I  had  been  advised  to  go  all  the  way  up  Glencoe 
with  my  eyes  shut,  because  the  effect  is  more  im- 
pressive in  coming  down ;  but  curiosity  prevailed, 
and  after  examining  each  way  with  equal  delight,  I 
could  have  exclaimed,  like  King  James  when  listen- 


GLENCOE.  127 

ing  to  an  argument,  "  They  are  both  right !"  No 
one  can  go  wrong  in  Glencoe,  unless  by  losing  his 
way,  which  a  poor  shepherd  did  lately,  and  perished 
among  the  precipices. 

Two  very  remarkable  hills,  whirling  high  into 
the  clouds  like  tall  spires,  or  cupolas,  are  called  the 
old  man  and  the  old  woman,  being  not  unlike  gi- 
gantic ghosts  clothed  in  dark  floating  draperies, 
with  white  streamers  of  snow.  As  we  advanced 
among  new  pyramids  of  hills,  not  a  blade  of  grass 
enlivened  their  towering  summits,  which  were  as 
bare  and  black  as  vitrified  forts.  The  entrance  to 
this  "  vale  of  shadows"  is  guarded  by  a  lion-shaped 
mountain,  which  seemed  growing  into  life  as  we 
advanced.  Its  sides  were  seamed  and  furrowed  by 
torrents,  while  the  next  mountain,  by  way  of  con- 
trast, was  round  and  shapeless  as  a  haggis,  but  all 
appeared  so  steep,  bare,  black,  and  inaccessible, 
that,  when  asked  if  there  were  any  earthly  object  for 
which  I  would  undertake  to  surmount  them,  the  very 
idea  of  attempting  it  made  me  giddy. 

We  met,  near  the  house  of  Glencoe,  a  very  in- 
telligent fine  looking  Highlander,  named  Alan  Mac- 
donald,  whose  ancestor  escaped  from  the  scene  of 
carnage.  He  pointed  out  a  steep  hill,  where  one 
of  the  few  Macdonalds  who  survived  the  massacre, 
after  being  pursued  by  a  soldier,  reached  a  place  of 
safety ;  and  it  was  amusing  to  observe  the  look  of 


128  GLENCOE. 

glee  with  which  our  friend  finished  the  story  of  his 
clansman's  flight  by  saying,  "He  carried  a  gun 
below  his  oxter^  so  he  just  wheeled  round  and  shot 
the  sodger." 

Alan  Macdonald,  who  was  a  common  wood- 
cutter, pointed  out  several  of  the  locahties,  and  told 
so  many  interesting  circumstances,  that  A ,  be- 
fore taking  leave,  presented  him  with  a  suitable 
donation,  but  in  a  truly  Highland  spirit  of  inde- 
pendence, he  drew  back,  saying,  "  I  want  no  money, 
Sir ! — but  I  would  just  like  to  know  who  the  gentle- 
man is  I  am  speaking  to  ?" 

Near  this  glen  we  met  the  farmer  named  Mac- 
donald, who  lately  became  bankrupt  for  j£40,000, 
involving  all  the  poor  people  around,  who  had  in- 
trusted him  with  their  money,  in  one  common  ruin. 
It  seemed  almost  a  pity  his  ancestor  escaped  the 
massacre !  He  strode  with  a  consequential  step, 
and  inhabits  a  good  house,  surrounded  by  a  capital 
garden,  while  the  unhappy  creditors  exist  as  they 
best  can.  The  sum  was  a  prodigious  one  for  any 
person  in  his  line  of  life  to  hazard ;  and  we  thought 
of  the  Cardinal  de  Rohan,  in  former  times,  announc- 
ing, that  one  of  his  own  relations  had  failed  for  a 
million  of  money,  when  he  added  in  a  tone  of  exul- 
tation, "  That  was  a  bankruptcy  worthy  of  a  Rohan !" 
It  appears  as  if  there  must  be  some  great  defect  in 
our  laws  and  customs  with  respect  to  a  failure,  as 


GLENCOE.  129 

any  debtor,  who  chooses  to  throw  aside  principle 
and  moraUty,  may  gain  a  complete  triumph  over 
his  creditors.  He  lodges  his  money  in  some  assumed 
name,  pleads  an  insolvency,  gets  himself,  in  tech- 
nical phrase,  "  white-washed,"  and  comes  forth,  as 
welcome  in  society  as  ever,  and  possessing  some  un- 
acknowledged means  of  supporting  extravagance, 
which  is  considered  perfectly  respectable,  and  made 
the  subject  of  many  amusing  jests  among  his  friends. 
One  instance  of  this  occurred  some  time  since,  when 
a  poor  creditor  succeeded,  with  great  difficulty,  in 
forcing  his  way  to  the  presence  of  a  gentleman,  who 
had  long  owed  him  a  small  bill,  which  he  pleaded 
hard  to  have  paid  immediately,  adding,  that  he  had 
struggled  through  difficulties  as  long  as  possible, 
but  feared  now,  if  the  whole  amount  were  not  dis- 
charged, he  must  inevitably  break  ! 

"  Break !"  said  his  auditor.  "  The  very  best  thing 
you  can  do  !  Everybody  breaks!  I  broke  myself  I 
Go  home  and  break  as  fast  as  you  can !" 

When  leaving  Glencoe,  our  minds  filled  with 
recollections  of  murder,  massacre,  and  banditti,  we 
turned  a  shaip  corner  of  the  road,  and  I  was  startled 
to  perceive  a  party  of  men  advancing,  armed  with 
pistols.  They  came  straight  towards  us  in  a  body, 
and  I  had  only  time  to  calculate  how  many  notes 
were  in  my  purse,  when  the  whole  troop  touched 
their  hats  and  passed  on.  This  turned  out  to  be  a 
12 


130  GLENCOE. 

pai'ty  of  excisemen  going  to  seize  contraband  whis- 
key, a  service  of  no  small  difficulty  and  danger. 
Nothing  can  be  more  ingenious  than  the  contriv- 
ances by  which  Highlanders  manage  to  conceal 
small  stills  for  manufacturing  their  favourite  "  vin  du 
pays^^  though  sometimes  the  secret  is  betrayed, 
when  cattle  are  attracted  to  the  spot  by  a  smell  of 
grain.  The  most  popular  whiskey  is  made  clan- 
destinely, without  a  government  license,  and  goes  by 
the  name  of  "  moonlight,"  while  that  which  pays 
duty  is  called  "  daylight,"  and  is  considered  so  con- 
temptibly inferior,  that  even  His  Majesty  George 
IV.,  during  his  residence  in  Edinburgh,  drank  the 
"  mountain  dew,"  in  preference  to  the  "  Parliament 
whiskey."  One  very  small  "still"  was  discovered 
in  the  Highlands  last  year,  with  the  boiler  buried 
beneath  a  stone  gate-post,  which  had  been  hollowed 
out  for  the  chimney;  and  another  was  detected 
within  the  precincts  of  a  Roman  Catholic  chapel, 
where  the  priest  connived  at  the  trick,  and  sold 
whiskey  to  a  gentleman,  who  mentioned  the  circum- 
stance, under  the  name  of"  holy  water." 

Near  Glencoe  there  used  formerly  to  be  a  Ro- 
man Catholic  Bishop  of  Lismore,  who  presided  over 
a  numerous  flock  ;  but  that  sect  is  almost  extinct  now 
in  this  neighbourhood,  though  we  passed  one  small 
Popish  chapel,  no  larger  than  a  barn,  surmounted 
by  two  black  wooden  crosses.     It  is  to  be  regretted 


CALEDONIAN    CANAL.  131 

that  our  Protestant  churches  rehnquish  the  cross  to 
be  exclusively  the  badge  of  a  Roman  Catholic  edi- 
fice, seeing  that  it  would  be  an  equally  appropriate 
symbol  on  our  own  sacred  buildings  ;  but  the  con- 
cession seems  injudicious,  as  well  as  the  custom  of 
calling  Papists  by  the  name  of  "  Cathohcs,"  as  I 
have  known  several  young  persons,  who  thought, 
from  its  not  having  been  properly  explained,  that 
any  Protestant  made  a  profession  of  apostacy  who 
repeated  that  clause  in  the  Creed,  "  I  beheve  in  the 
Holy  Catholic  Church."  One  great  safeguard  of 
Scotland  against  the  Popish  faith  is,  that  this  coun- 
try is  too  poor  for  again  setting  up  so  expensive  a 
religion. 

You  would  have  been  pleased  to  observe,  that 
the  horse  we  employed  here,  as  well  as  in  some  other 
Highland  places,  always  endeavoured  to  stop  when 
we  approached  the  Church,  being  evidently  accus- 
tomed to  carry  their  employers  regularly  there ;  and 
on  one  occasion  we  were  nearly  upset  before  the 
worthy  quadruped  could  be  prevailed  on  to  proceed. 
In  many  more  remote  places  the  highroad  termi- 
nates at  the  church  door. 

Benavie  Inn,  at  the  head  of  the  Caledonian  Ca- 
nal, was  our  next  point,  where  we  landed  in  a  boat, 
and  hastened  to  visit  Inverlochy  Castle,  a  roofless 
ruin,  age  unknown,  recently  purchased  by  the  Mar- 
quis of  Huntly,  and  said  to  have  been  the  original 


132  INVERLOCHY    CASTLE. 

model  from  which  Inverary  Castle  was  copied. 
There  may  be  some  slight  family  likeness  between 
them,  as  the  same  massy  round  towers  are  built  at 
the  four  corners  of  each,  but,  in  the  more  ancient 
edifice,  the  windows  are  so  shapeless  and  irregular, 
that  you  might  fancy  the  walls  had  been  originally 
a  solid  mass,  nine  feet  thick,  and  that  cannon  balls 
had  been  fired  through  them  by  the  inhabitants, 
where  an  orifice  was  required  at  which  they  might 
see  and  breathe.  This  fortress  has  once  been  sur- 
rounded by  a  moat,  and  it  sported  a  drawbridge 
formerly ;  but  while  nature  smiled  around  this  vene- 
rable castle  in  perpetual  youth,  all  that  was  the 
work  of  man  has  mouldered  in  decay,  and  is  hasten- 
ing into  oblivion.  Great  pains  have  been  recently 
taken  to  preserve  this  interesting  specimen  of  anti- 
quity, and  I  wish  all  castles  fell  into  the  hands  of 
those  who  venerate  their  declining  years  as  much. 
A  wall  has  now  been  raised  all  round  for  protection, 
guarded  by  an  iron  gate,  the  key  of  which  is  in 
custody  of  a  warden,  who  apparently  retires  to  rest, 
like  the  chickens,  at  sunset,  as  we  were  told  about 
six  in  the  evening,  that  he  must  not  be  disturbed  to 
give  us  achnission.  A  boy,  seeing  our  disappoint- 
ment, advised  us,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  "  loup 
the  dike,"  apparently  considering  that  mode  of  en- 
trance as  the  easiest  and  most  usual.  The  walls  not 
being  totally  impregnable,  but  rather  in  the  style  of 


INVERLOCHY    CASTLE.  133' 

those  built  by  Romulus,  A made  his  way  good, 

and  found  within  the  enclosure  a  thriving:  younsf 
plantation  of  trees,  which  may  hereafter  become  very 
ornamental.  We  were  told,  that  money  had  been 
borrowed  at  four  per  cent,  to  purchase  this  very  an- 
cient place,  which  yields  only  two, — which  will  re- 
mind you  of  the  learned  lawyer,  who  said,  "  land  is 
principal  without  interest, — money  in  the  funds  is 
interest  without  principal, — but  heritable  bonds  are 
both  the  one  and  the  other  !" 

Recollections  of  ancient  and  modern  heroes  are 
crowded  round  this  interesting  spot.  Here  Alan  Earl 
of  Caithness,  who  must  have  wandered  a  long  way 
for  the  occasion,  was  killed  in  battle  by  Lord  Mar 
in  1427.  Here  the  Marquis  of  Argyll,  upon  his  own 
territory,  was  defeated  by  "  the  chivalrous  Montrose," 
who  took  his  enemy  by  surprise,  kilhng  1500  Camp- 
bells, while  he  lost  only  three  men  himself, — and  in 
the  neighbourhood  also  we  observed  a  handsome 
monument  \dsible  many  miles  around,  built  by  Sir 
Duncan  Cameron  to  the  memory  of  his  brave  and 
gallant  son,  killed  at  Waterloo,  and  who  is  comme- 
morated by  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  these  lines, — 

"  And  Cameron  with  his  heart  of  steel, 
Died  like  the  offspring  of  Locheil.'' 

On  a  wide  moor  which  we  crossed  in  returning  to 

Benavie,  the  poor  people  had  been   cutting  their 

12* 


134  INVERLOCHY. 

staple  commodity,  peats,  leaving  the  whole  field 
excavated  into  oblong  squares,  as  if  they  had  been 
ready  made  graves.  The  faint  glimmer  of  twilight 
made  the  evening  sky  look  like  a  rose  leaf,  the  world 
was  rapidly  losing  itself  in  darkness,  and  as  we 
hurried  on,  I  could  not  but  think  how  easily  we 
might  have  been  murdered  and  buried  there  without 
the  possibility  of  ever  being  discovered.  Whether 
this  melancholy  catastrophe  occurred  or  not,  I  must 
leave  you  to  guess,  for  here  ends  my  tale. 

(  To  be  continued  in  our  next.) 


LOCHEIL. 


Long  have  I  pin'd  for  thee, 
Land  of  my  infancy! 
Now  will  I  kneel  on  ihee, 

Hillof  Locheil. 
Hill  of  the  sturdy  steer, 
Hill  of  the  roe  and  deer, 
Hill  of  the  streamlet  clear, 

I  love  thee  well. 

My  dear  Cousin, — What  could  Madame  de  Stael 
mean  by  giving  her  verdict  that  a  journey  is  "  un 
des  plus  tristes  plaisirs  de  la  vie  !  /"  On  the  con- 
trary, nothing  appears  to  me  so  enhvening,  the  very 
discomforts  being  so  transient,  they  seem  only  worth 
laughing  at,  while  they  give  a  greater  zest  to  the 
enjoyment  that  follows,  for  what  the  poet  says  of 
life,  is  much  more  applicable  to  travelling, — 

"  The  pleasures  stay  not  till  they  pall, 
And  all  the  pains  are  quickly  past." 

We  are  now  in  Locheil's  country,  where  any  one 
who  wishes  for  a  good  travelling  name  should  adopt 
that  of  Cameron,  as  every  alternate  man  he  meets 
will  bear  the  same  designation.  Scotland  w^as  di- 
vided into  compartments  like  the  Zoological  Gar- 
dens formerly,  where  the  clans  remained  as  com- 


136  THE    CAMERONS. 

pletely  separated,  as  if  they  had  been  of  a  different 

genus  or  caste,  and  even  to  this  hour,  when  A 

meets  with  any  one  of  the  lower  orders  not  in  his 
proper  district,  a  Fraser  settled  out  of  Inverness- 
shire,  a  Gordon  absent  from  Aberdeenshire,  or  a 
Ross  or  Monro  wandered  from  Ross-shire,  he  gener- 
ally asks  how  his  family  happened  to  go  astray,  and 
receives  some  long  apologetic  history  about  their 
proprietors  having  been  beguiled  away,  from  their 
"  local  habitation  and  their  name,"  to  new  scenes 
and  connections.  The  Island  of  Skye  is  so  exclu- 
sively inhabited  by  Macdonalds,  Mackinnons,  and 
Macleods,  that  it  might  be  appropriately  named 
All-Macks,  for  if  a  stranger  were  in  want  of  assist- 
ance, near  any  house  or  village,  he  need  only  call 
out  "Mac!"  and  a  head  would  instantly  appear  at 
every  window. 

After  breakfasting  at  Benavie,  w^e  set  off  in  a 
gig,  having  the  advantage  of  a  blazing  sunshine 
lighting  us  on  our  way,  to  take  a  glimpse  of  Auch- 
nacarry,  belonging  to  the  chief  of  all  the  Camerons. 
Our  drive  began  through  a  dreary  country,  com- 
mencing along  the  banks  of  the  Caledonian  Canal. 
Here  steam-boats  and  small  frigates  advance  tediously 
through  twenty-eight  locks,  commonly  called  "  Nep- 
tune's staircase,"  as  they  are  used  in  raising  vessels 
going  to  Inverness  to  the  level  of  Loch  Lochy,  the 
one  being  about  ninety  feet  higher  than  the  other. 


THE    CAMERONS.  137 

This  process  is  exceedingly  tedious,  occupying  about 
eight  hours  to  a  mile,  which  is,  in  these  railway 
days,  a  perfect  lifetime,  but  afterwards  the  remain- 
ing sixty  miles  of  this  canal,  almost  reaching  the 
gates  of  our  Highland  capital,  may  be  performed  at 
a  good  steamboat  pace,  leading  through  some  of  the 
most  splendid  scenery  in  Scotland. 

The  Highlanders,  accustomed  only  to  warfare, 
scarcely  knew  what  industry  meant,  until  the  Cale- 
donian Canal  was  begim,  and  though  it  cost  a  mil- 
lion of  money,  that  price  has  been  more  than  repaid 
by  the  spirit  of  exertion  and  activity  which  it  intro- 
duced among  the  natives.  They  used  at  first  to  look 
on  with  indolent  contempt,  while  Irish  labourers 
dug  and  excavated  the  ground,  but  gradually  one 
or  two  at  a  time  volunteered  to  v^eld  the  spade,  and 
were  delighted  to  receive  the  two  and  sixpence  al- 
lowed for  their  day's  work.  After  a  short  interval 
employed  in  spending  it,  they  generally  returned, 
bringing  a  troop  of  friends  willing  to  try  the  S£m[ie 
experiment,  and  at  last  the  whole  population  rose 
simultaneously,  shouldered  their  spades,  and  enhsted 
in  the  service.  Since  then,  instead  of  the  despond- 
ing inertness  caused  by  hopeless  poverty,  the  High- 
landers have  become  so  active  and  enterprising,  that 
no  less  than  5000  from  this  immediate  neighbour- 
hood are  working  on  different  railways,  who  might 
all  be  thus  comfortably  maintained,  were  it  not  for 


138  THE    CAMERONS. 

their  extreme  partiality  to  the  herring  fishery,  which 
causes  them  annually  to  relinquish  the  most  advan- 
tageous situations,  in  order  to  try  their  fortune  at 
sea.  It  must  be  an  animating  sight,  when  the  little 
squadron  of  fishing  boats  is  sprinkled  over  the  frith, 
surrounded  by  an  army  of  sea-gulls,  while  a  whole 
nation  of  fish  arrives  sometimes  at  once,  covering 
several  hundred  acres  of  the  ocean,  and  in  such  a 
solid  depth,  that  a  shoal  has  been  sometimes  called 
"  a  herring  mountain." 

Not  far  from  the  canal,  we  passed  the  spot 
where,  fifty  years  since,  a  fatal  duel  was  fought, 
quite  in  the  Chalk -farm  style,  between  two  of  the 
clan  Cameron,  one  of  whom  was  killed,  and  the 
other  fled  the  country.  The  fugitive  afterwards  be- 
came a  general  in  the  army,  and  was  well  known 
in  London  as  Sir  Alan  Cameron,  whose  shake  of  the 
hand  was  so  unbearably  energetic,  that  his  friends 
never  left  him  without  tears  in  their  eyes ;  and  on 
one  occasion,  a  gentleman  who  had  frequently  suf- 
fered under  his  grasp,  jocularly  held  out  his  foot, 
when  Sir  Alan  seized  hold  of  it,  and  made  him  hop 
all  the  w^ay  down  Bond  Street. 

Pursuing  our  course,  we  observed,  on  the  edge 
of  Loch  Lochy,  or,  I  should  rather  perhaps  say,  in 
the  Lake,  all  that  remains  of  an  old  castle  once  in- 
habited by  the  chieftain  of  Mackintosh,  a  gentleman 
who  seems  to  have  entertained  rather  pecuhar  no- 


THE    CAiMERONS.  139 

tions  of  hospitality,  the  entrance  to  his  state  cham- 
ber being  across  a  concealed  trap-door,  which  he 
occasionally  left  unfastened  when  an  unwelcome 
visiter  approached.  Thus,  instead  of  merely  saying 
"  not  at  home"  as  we  do,  he  dropped  his  acquaint- 
ances into  a  deep  abyss  of  the  lake,  where  they 
were  never  heard  of  more !  At  length  he  once  in- 
vited his  rival  chief  and  neighbour,  Locheil,  to  take 
pot-luck  with  him,  and  at  the  appointed  hour,  that 
brave  and  gallant  officer,  unsuspicious  of  treachery, 
was  seen  approaching  the  castle,  accompanied  only 
by  a  favourite  dog.  Fortunately  the  animal  rushed 
on  in  advance  of  his  master,  the  trap-door  dropped, 
and  Locheil  seeing  the  yawning  chasm  at  his  feet, 
instantly  guessed  the  whole  plot.  Filled  with  indig- 
nation, he  leaped  across  the  gulf,  and  with  a  single 
stroke  of  the  broad-sword,  laid  his  enemy  dead  at 
his  feet. 

Some  people  say,  and  any  body  may  believe  it 
who  can,  that  this  old  remnant  of  a  castle  on  Loch 
Lochy  was  formerly  the  residence  of  Banquo,  whose 
ghost  may  still  be  seen  frequenting  a  trap-door  at 
Covent  Garden  or  Drury  Lane. 

The  Camerons  of  Locheil  were  a  noble  race, 
full  of  true  Highland  spirit,  the  last  chiefs  who  ca- 
pitulated to  Cromwell,  and  the  first  to  rise  again  for 
Charles  Edward.  I  gazed  with  deep  interest  on 
that  one  shattered  wall  yet  remaining  of  the  old 
Castle.     It  ought  to  be  carefully  preserved,  as  a 


140  THE  CAMERONS. 

relic  of  almost  fabulous  times,  when  successive  gen- 
erations of  brave  and  loyal  chieftains  reigned  with 
despotic  rule  over  a  devoted  clan.  There  Prince 
Charles  rehearsed  the  plan  of  his  campaign  in  1745, 
while  Locheil,  the  most  accomplished  and  talented 
of  all  his  Highland  adherents,  knowing  how  despe- 
rate w^ere  the  fortunes  of  his  hereditary  sovereign, 
still  yielded  his  own  better  judgment,  consenting  to 
risk  all,  and,  as  he  foresaw,  to  lose  all,  at  the  com- 
mand of  one  to  whom  he  thought  his  allegiance 
justly  due,  especially  when  Charles  Edward,  as  a 
last  expedient  for  overcoming  his  reluctance,  taunted 
him  in  these  memorable  words,  "  Locheil,  who,  my 
father  has  often  told  me,  was  our  firmest  friend,  may 
stay  at  home,  and  learn  from  the  newspapers  the 
fate  of  his  prince." 

The  disastrous  result  of  that  brave  chief's  adhe- 
rence to  the  Stuarts  is  finely  described  by  Campbell, 
in  language  which  that  poet  ascribes  to  the  bold 
Locheil  himself,  whom  he  terms  the  "  Proud  bird  of 
the  mountain."  He  is  supposed  to  make  this  cha- 
racteristic and  spirited  manifesto  : 

"  Though  my  perishing  ranks  should  be  strew'd  in  their  gore, 
Like  ocean-weeds  heap'd  on  the  surf-beaten  shore, 
Locheil,  untainted  by  flight  or  by  chains, 
While  the  kindling  of  life  in  his  bosom  remains, 
Shall  victor  exult,  or  in  death  be  laid  low. 
With  his  back  to  the  field,  and  his  feet  to  the  foe  ! 
And,  leaving  in  battle  no  blot  on  his  name, 
Look  proudly  to  Heav'n  from  the  death-bed  of  fame." 


THE    CAMERONS.  141 

Reason  and  religion  teach  us  to  rejoice  that  the 
Stuarts  eventually  lost  their  cause,  and  make  us  feel 
grateful  to  Providence  for  establishing  a  race  of 
sovereigns,  who,  being  chosen  for  their  adherence 
to  the  Prote^ant  cause,  are  thus  pledged  by  a  sacred 
tie  to  preserve  it  pure  and  undefiled,  and  to  defend 
us  from  that  Popish  supremacy,  the  mere  apprehen- 
sion of  which  caused  the  more  ancient  dynasty  to  be 
set  aside.  Yet  while  duty  and  principle  are  enlisted 
in  the  more  orthodox  cause,  poetry  and  romance 
range  themselves  powerfully,  beside  the  music  of  all 
our  most  spirited  Scottish  airs,  on  the  side  of  "  Bon- 
nie Prince  Charlie  !"  While  advancing,  as  w^e  now 
did,  through  these  glens  and  mountains,  where, 
friendless  and  alone,  the  young  adventurer  was  re- 
ceived with  the  same  chivalrous  enthusiasm  as  if  he 
had  come  with  the  retinue  and  splendour  of  a  hun- 
dred sovereigns,  I  did  feel  that  a  tribute  of  admira- 
tion and  of  sympathy  might  be  given  to  the  memory 
of  those  brave  men,  who  so  generously  placed  then- 
lives,  fortunes,  and  property,  at  the  hazard  of  so 
desperate  an  enterprise.  If  Charles  Edward  had 
been  killed  at  Culloden,  and  Bonaparte  at  Waterloo, 
they  might  both  have  ranked  with  any  heroes  in 
antiquity;  but  the  appearance  of  each  among  his 
adherents  was  equally  successful  at  first,  equally  ca- 
lamitous to  all  w^ho  w^elcomed  his  return,  and  like- 
wise follow^ed  by  a  similar  loss  of  dignity  and  repu- 
tation in  subsequent  banishment. 
13 


142  THE    CAMERONS. 

At  Auchnacariy,  an  obliging  English  game- 
keeper, recently  imported,  as  he  told  me,  from 
"  Coomherland,^^  showed  us  Prince  Charles's  gun,  a 
remarkably  long,  overgrown-looking  implement, 
for  which  he  evidently  entertained  considerable  con- 
tempt; and  perhaps  Manton  might  have  suggested 
some  improvement.  It  is  double-barrelled,  with  one 
lock,  and  bears  a  Latin  inscription,  recommending 
us  not  to  sink  under  our  misfortunes,  but  to  struggle 
against  them. 

Every  tree  in  the  avenue  to  this  old  castle  was 
separately  set  on  fire  by  the  English  army  in  forty- 
five,  and  the  trunks  continue  still  to  look  scorched 
and  blackened,  though  the  leaves  flourish  green 
above,  so  that  a  careless  observer  might  not  detect 
the  cruel  havoc  w^thin,  as  the  wounds  are  healing 
rapidly,  and  the  hollow^  hearts  of  many  are  almost 
concealed,  w^hile  others  are  as  empty  as  telescopes. 
Here  w^e  observed  a  large  collection  of  trees,  chiefly 
horn-beams,  ranged  in  two  almost  solid  rows,  as 
closely  huddled  as  sheep  during  a  thunderstorm ; 
and  our  cicerone  mentioned  that  when  Prince 
Charles  landed,  Locheil  had  been  preparing  to  make 
some  extensive  plantations,  but  hearing  of  so  sudden 
a  call  from  civil  to  military  employment,  he  thrust 
this  young  forest  hastily  into  the  earth,  hoping  to 
take  an  early  opportimity  of  dispersing  them  more 
advantageously  afterwards,  but  he  w^as  himself  dis- 
persed with  his  clansmen,  and  the  trees  have  ever 


THE    CAMERONS.  143 

since  remained,  thus  arm-in-arm,  clinging  to  each 
other  in  a  most  distressing  manner,  and  getting  only  a 
stray  sun-beam  occasionally  to  divide  amongst  them. 

"  Oh!  crested  Locheil !  the  peerless  in  might, 
Whose  banners  arise  on  the  battlement's  height, 
Heav'n's  tire  is  around  thee,  to  blast  and  to  burn, 
Return  to  thy  dwelling !  all  lonely  return ! 
For  the  blackness  of  ashes  shall  mark  where  it  stood." 

One  of  the  drives  at  Auchnacarry  is  picturesquely 
called  "  The  dark  mile,"  a  narrow  pass,  once  over- 
shadowed like  a  bower,  by  well-grown  trees,  and 
beset  by  ranges  of  gloomy  frowning  hills,  two  rocky 
eminences  in  which  are  haunted  by  fairies.  Our 
Highland  guide  informed  me,  with  a  superstitious 
shake  of  the  head,  that  nobody  could  venture  to  pass 
that  way  after  dusk,  because  "  whisperings  might  be 
heard  all  through  the  forest !"  Probably  a  whisper- 
ing breeze ;  but  we  looked  as  credulous  as  we  con- 
scientiously could,  which  encoui'aged  him  to  relate  "  a 
perfectly  true  story,"  as  follows  : — ^Not  many  years 
since,  a  countryman  was  returning  home,  late  one 
evening  from  the  market,  with  a  burden  on  his  back, 
and  reluctantly  ventured  into  "  the  dark  mile,"  though 
aware  of  his  danger.  After  proceeding  some  dis- 
tance he  was  startled  to  behold  a  gigantic  apparition 
standing  on  the  pinnacle  of  a  rock,  and  imperatively 
desiring  him  to  drop  what  he  carried.  Scarcely  had 
the  terrified  mortal  time  to  consider  the  eligibility  of 


144  LOCH    ARCAIG. 

obeying  this  mandate,  before  another  spirit  appeared 
on  the  opposite  hill,  desiring  him  "  to  keep  his  own 
and  pass  on."  Instantly  a  fierce  conflict  ensued  be- 
tween the  rival  goblins,  during  which,  without  wait- 
ing to  ascertain  how  his  protector  fared,  the  travel- 
ler ran  off,  which  seems  rather  an  ungrateful  step, 
but  he  w^as  not  ashamed  to  relate  the  adventure,  and 
it  has  one  excellent  effect,  that  being  now  quite 
current  among  the  peasantiy,  they  all  remain  at 
home  in  the  evenings,  w^hen  otherwise  there  might 
be  abundant  inducement  to  poaching,  since  this 
neighbourhood  abounds  in  red  deer,  black  game, 
and  wild  fow^l. 

In  days  of  yore,  when  the  chief  of  Locheil  had 
to  be  as  ready  for  defensive  as  for  offensive  warfare, 
the  family  residence  was  w^here  the  family  burying- 
ground  is  now,  on  a  small  wooded  tuft  of  an  island 
in  Loch  Arcaig.  An  ancient  chieftain  of  the  family, 
w^hen  embarking  once  from  this  green  isle  to  present 
himself  at  Court,  accidentally  dropped  one  of  the 
splendid  golden  shoes  in  which  he  had  intended 
to  be  equipped  for  the  occasion,  and  it  has  never 
yet  been  found.  He  was  carrying  them  in  his  hand, 
a  truly  Caledonian  mode  of  wearing  shoes,  not  yet 
entirely  disused. 

Loch  Arcaig  is  a  narrow,  serpentine  lake,  eigh- 
teen miles  in  length,  and  bounded  by  a  waving  out- 
line of  hills,  which  are  chequered  with  native  birch 


LOCH   ARCAIG.  145 

and  fir-trees.  Beautiful  as  you  may  suppose  this  to 
be,  the  most  enchanting  feature  in  the  whole  scenery 
is  derived  from  the  glittering  transparent  brightness 
of  the  waters  in  Loch  Arcaig. 

Like  an)'  fair  lake  that  the  breeze  is  upon, 

When  it  breaks  into  dimples,  and  laughs  in  the  sun. 

I  scarcely  believed  the  beauty  of  this  fairy-like 
scene  could  have  been  excelled,  till  w^e  reached  the 
river  Arcaig,  which  nearly  surrounds  the  new  house, 
but  there  I  could  have  gazed  unceasingly  into  the 
clear  depths  of  liquid  crystal,  through  w^hich  we 
traced  a  gay  medley  of  brilliant  stones,  looking  like 
the  fruit  in  Aladdin's  garden,  blue,  yellow,  and  white, 
while  we  admired  especially  a  profusion  of  red  peb- 
bles, which  gave  an  appearance  to  the  channel  as  if 
it  were  strew^ed  with  rubies.  Its  sparkling  torrent, 
fresh  from  the  mountain,  reflects  every  sunbeam  in 
its  shining  course,  like  a  flickering  net-work  of  gold, 
so  brilliant,  that  our  eyes  were  almost  put  out  by  the 
glare.  As  a  burned  child  dreads  the  fire,  the  Came- 
rons  of  Locheil,  long  after  the  conflagration  of  1746, 
brought  their  modern  mansion  so  near  the  stream, 
that  the  foundation  is  almost  washed  by  its  waters. 
The  house  is  a  mere  matter-of-fact  building,  w^ith- 
out  architectural  ornaments  or  vagaries  of  any  kind, 
but  spacious  and  comfortable,  being  the  third  gene- 
ration of  castles  that  has  arisen  under  the  Locheil 
dynasty.  The  walls  were  finished  by  the  late  pro- 
13* 


146  LOCHEIL. 

prietor,  but  when  the  windows  and  doors  were  about 
to  be  inserted,  he  suddenly  went  abroad,  leaving  the 
house,  during  thirty-five  years,  an  untimely  min. 
The  present  chief  has  at  length  trimmed  the  edifice 
with  sashes,  shutters,  and  doors,  so  that  the  house 
now^  looks  habitable,  though  not  yet  inhabited,  and 
the  rooms  are  adorned  with  elegant  modern  fm^ni- 
ture.  Such  sofas  and  ottomans  would  have  electri- 
fied the  ancient  Locheil,  of  whom  a  story  is  related, 
that,  when  his  son  was  about  to  bivouac  in  a  field 
during  the  winter,  and  rolled  up  a  pillow  of 
kSuow  to  recline  upon,  the  aged  chief  kicked  it  from 
under  his  head,  angrily  exclaiming,  "  You  grow  ef- 
feminate, Sir !" 

The  day  was  delightful  for  enjoying  this  lovely 
place, — not  a  cloud  in  the  azure  sky  larger  than  a 
powder  puff,  except  one  little  wreath  that  rested  on 
Ben  Nevis,  looking  as  if  difeu  de  joie  of  cannon  had 
been  fired  from  the  mountain  to  celebrate  our  arri- 
val. Its  towering  summit,  rendered  pie-bald  with 
snow,  contrasted  beautifully  with  the  bright  summer 
foliage,  the  lively  "  trotting  brook,"  and  the  deep 
shadows  around.  If  I  were  mean  enough  to  envy 
any  body,  it  would  certainly  be  the  owner  of  a  place, 
so  full  of  natural  beauty,  of  historical  recollections, 
and  of  romantic  traditions;  but  you  will  think  I  am 
pufhng  off  this  place  like  an  auctioneer,  though  I 
hope  it  wdll  never  again  be  in  any  sense  knocked 
down. 


CLANS. 


The  pibroch's  note,  discountenanced  or  mute, 
The  Roman  kilt  degraded  to  a  toy, 
Of  quaint  apparel  for  a  half-spoilt  boy, 
The  target  mouldering  like  ungathered  fruit, 
The  smoking  steam-boat  eager  in  pursuit, 
As  eagerly  pursued,  the  umbrella  spread 
To  weather-fend  the  Celtic  herdsman's  head, 
All  speak  of  manners  withering  to  the  root. 

Wordsworth. 

My  dear  Cousin, — All  my  theories  of  perfect 
happiness  are  put  to  flight  the  moment  I  come  in  con- 
tact with  those  who  could,  if  they  chose,  reahze  the 
airy  visions  which  have  appeared  to  me  most  dehght- 
ful.  You  and  I  might  fancy  that  scarcely  a  wish 
could  remain  ungratified  in  the  mind  of  any  High- 
land proprietor  reigning  over  a  wider  domain  than 
a  German  sovereign,  and  loved  with  an  enthusiasm 
w^aich  fiction  itself  cannot  exaggerate ;  yet  go  w^here 
you  will  in  the  North,  our  noble  castles  and  roman- 
tic dwellings  are  used  as  mere  shooting-boxes,  re- 
maining silent,  solitaiy,  and  deserted  during  the 
greater  part  of  every  successive  year,  w^hile  the  few 
who  remain  stationary  at  home  may  still  drink  the 
Highland  toast  of  old  times,  "  Our  native  country, 
and  may  those  who  do  not  like  it  leave  it.'' 


148  CLANS. 

In  days  of  yore,  no  Highland  proprietor  ven- 
tured long  to  remain  an  absentee,  as  his  house  was 
liable  to  be  seized,  and  his  whole  domains  were 
ravaged  by  the  surrounding  neighbourhood;  but 
one  disadvantage  of  more  settled  times  is,  that  the 
chiefs  are  now  abdicated  sovereigns,  who  prefer 
li\dng  in  distant  countries,  unknown  and  uncared 
for,  with  scarcely  a  thought  of  the  hundreds  among 
whom  their  presence  would  spread  joy  and  pros- 
perity, or  one  sentiment  of  lingering  interest  in  the 
clansmen  and  tenantry,  who  scarcely  know  them  by 
sight,  and  yet  cherish  a  hereditary  attachment  to  the 
family,  which  their  fathers  would  have  lived  and 
died  to  serve.  A  young  Highland  chieftain  is  gen- 
erally educated  now  at  Eton  or  Westminster,  fin- 
ishecl  at  Oxford,  hurried  round  the  tour  of  Europe, 
and  then  precipitated  into  an  expensive  regiment, 
or  into  a  seat  in  Parliament,  w^ith  no  opportunity  to 
reflect  on  his  own  peculiar  station,  responsibilities, 
and  duties,  except,  perhaps,  in  respect  to  the  preser- 
vation of  grouse,  and  the  encouragement  of  red 
deer.  Great  fashionable  notoriety  is  attached  in 
London  life  at  present  to  the  external  paraphernalia 
of  a  Highland  chief!  The  kilt,  the  tartan,  and  the 
bagpipe,  have  a  sort  of  mountebank  eclat  in  modern 
times,  along  with  the  peculiar  names,  now  mere 
nicknames,  which  once  distinguished  the  brave,  hardy, 
and  beloved  proprietors   of  a  Highland  territory. 


CLANS.  149 

The  shadow  of  their  former  greatness  remains,  but 
the  reahty  has  departed;  for  we  all  know  what 
clansmen  and  chieftains  once  were,  and  will  never 
be  again,  since  the  time  when  fortmies,  that  should 
have  been  the  source  of  splendour  and  usefulness  at 
home,  are  squandered  in  an  unsuccessful  struggle 
for  pre-eminence  in  London,  while  those  w^ho  fancy 
they  have  gained  it,  are  not  much  nearer  the  truth 
than  Don  Quixote,  when  he  sat  with  bandaged  eyes 
on  a  wooden  horse,  and  imagined  himself  soaring 
through  the  air. 

The  Highland  tenantry,  like  those  of  Ireland, 
are  suffering  beneath  the  iron  rule  of  absentees, 
who  employ  what  the  Scotch  so  appropriately  call 
"  grieves,"  Anglice  bailiffs,  to  be  the  resident  man- 
agers, and  who  look  upon  an  estate  as  a  mere 
machine  for  making  money,  while  thousands  of  our 
countrymen  are  hurrying  to  Australia  or  Canada,  im- 
willingly  obliged  to  say,  like  the  emigrant's  melan- 
choly song,  "  We  return,  we  retm^n,  we  retm'n  no 
more."  It  must  be  deep  and  hopeless  misery,  in- 
deed, that  can  make  a  Highlander  wilhng  to  leave 
his  little  croft  and  cottage,  even  to  reach  a  country 
where  he  is  told  that  the  pigs  are  fed  upon  peaches. 
He  is  still  apt  to  think  "  the  smoke  of  his  own  chim- 
ney brighter  than  the  fire  of  a  stranger's;"  and 
never  shall  I  forget  the  visit  we  once  had  of  an 
aged  man  from  Sutherland,  who  walked  five  hun- 
dred miles  on  his  toilsome  w^ay  to  London,  where 


150  CLANS. 

he  meant  to  beg  for  permission  to  die  on  his  native 
heath.  The  roof  had  been  torn  from  the  house 
where  he  dwelt,  his  garden  had  been  laid  waste,  and 
his  neighbours  dispersed,  but  he  asked  only  the 
boon  of  lingering  out  his  remaining  years  at  home. 
An  old  woman  was  heard  lately  in  consultation  with 
her  son,  who  was  about  to  embark  for  Australia, 
and  who  loudly  grumbled  at  the  dire  necessity  of 
going  to  a  country  where  he  heard  there  was  no- 
thing to  trade  with  but  Kangaroos.  "  Well,"  re- 
plied his  mother,  in  a  consolatory  tone,  "  is  not  a 
Kangaroo's  money  as  good  as  any  body  else's  !"  In 
former  times,  the  Highland  clansmen  have  been 
known  to  maintain  their  chief  at  their  own  expense, 
and  to  raise  a  regiment  among  themselves,  that  he 
might  obtain  military  rank;  but  should  times  of 
danger  and  rebelHon  ever  again  arise,  the  descend- 
ants of  those  powerful  proprietors  who,  in  former 
times,  led  thousands  of  followers  to  the  field,  may 
now  plant  their  banner  on  the  Highland  hills,  and 
find  only  battalions  of  sheep,  where  troops  of  men 
would  formerly  have  gathered  around  their  stan- 
dard. One  old  boatman,  residing  on  a  great  estate 
recently  sold  to  pay  for  the  frippery  of  a  London 
career,  spoke  to  me  of  his  absent  chief  with  a  touch- 
ing mixture  of  grief  and  indignation,  saying,  "  He 
has  not  left  himself  the  value  of  my  oar  ! — not  so 
much  land  as  will  be  a  grave  to  him !" 

One  of  the  finest  traits  I  know  of  Highland  at- 


CLANS.  151 

tachment  was  shown  to  the  Seaforth  family,  after 
the  rebelHon,  when  their  property  in  the  south  of 
Ross-shire  became  forfeited.  The  tenantry  could 
not  be  induced,  either  by  fear  or  persuasion,  to  pay 
their  rent  to  government,  but  regularly  collected  the 
whole  amount,  and  forwarded  every  fraction  of  it  to 
their  absent  chief,  then  resident  at  Paris.  I  was 
anxious  to  ascertain,  when  Lord  Seaforth's  succes- 
sor returned  in  more  prosperous  circumstances,  how 
he  testified  a  due  sense  of  this  devoted  allegiance 
on  the  part  of  his  clansmen,  and  w^as  informed,  that 
he  sold  the  estate  immediately,  in  order  to  purchase 
property  in  the  West  Indies !  Could  any  number 
of  rmn-puncheons  and  sugar-hogsheads  compensate 
for  losing  a  tenantry  so  deeply  attached  ?  You  told 
me  once  of  a  lecturer,  who  professed  "  to  teach  sen- 
sibility on  mathematical  principles,"  and  he  is  the 
only  person  likely,  I  think,  to  define  such  feelings. 

Highland  lairds  allege,  that  the  estates  of  south- 
ern proprietors  are  so  limited,  they  can  "  whistle  to 
all  their  tenantry  from  the  chimney-tpp."  It  is  al- 
leged, that  when  Martin  of  Galway  wishes  to  let 
any  land,  he  takes  his  future  tenant  to  the  summit 
of  a  high  hill,  and  asks,  "  What  \\411  you  give  for 
all  you  seel"  How  few,  indeed,  have  reason  to 
exclaim  in  a  tone  of  lamentation,  as  Lord  Leicester 
is  said  to  have  done  lately,  "  I  am  Giant  of  Giant 
Castle,   and  have    eaten  up  all  my  neighboui's." 


152  BENAVIE. 

Though  many  Scottish  territories  have  recently  been 
broken  to  shivers,  and  sold  among  men  of  yesterday, 
some  yet  remain  unmutilated,  the  enormous  bulk  of 
which,  compared  to  more  southern  properties,  is  like 
that  of  a  whale  among  minnows.  The  Duke  of 
Sutherland  has  1780  square  miles  of  land,  nearly  a 
whole  county  as  large  as  Devonshire ;  Lord  Bread- 
albane's  estate  stretches  seventy  miles  west  from  his 
own  door;  the  highroad  in  Skye  passes  through 
eighty  miles  of  Lord  Macdonald's  property  ;  the  late 
Duke  of  Atholl  raised  a  regiment  of  3000  men 
among  his  tenantry ;  and  on  Lord  Seafield's  land 
there  are  60,000  inhabitants,  chiefly  Grants.  We 
may  all  remember  the  day,  about  twelve  years  ago, 
when  the  clan  Grant,  hearing  that  the  poll  was  go- 
ing against  their  chief  in  a  contested  election,  as- 
sembled in  thousands,  and  with  their  pipes  playing, 
marched  down  to  Inverness;  on  which  occasion. 
Lord  Seafield's  sister.  Lady  Anne,  one  of  the  most 
popular  personages  in  the  north,  had  to  assure  the 
Highlanders  she  was  satisfied  with  the  treatment 
her  family  were  receiving,  or  they  w^ould  instantly 
have  proceeded  to  hostile  measures. 

After  leaving  Benavie,  in  a  gig  drawn  by  the 
same  horse  forty  miles  that  day,  we  proceeded 
through  splendid  scenery  to  Arisaig,  admiring  every 
variety  of  form  that  mountain  or  glen  can  exhibit. 
Hills  of  unspeakable  height,  trees  in  boundless  pro- 


BENAVIE.  153 

fusion,  rivers,  lakes,  rocks,  precipices,  every  thlno-, 
for  miles  and  miles,  that  could  be  admired  or  en- 
joyed, except  hmnan  habitations,  which  were  very 
few,  and  very  far  indeed  between.  Political  econ- 
omists talk  of  Britain  being  too  much  crowded,  as 
if  one-half  the  inhabitants  should  be  drowned  that 
the  other  half  might  live  comfortably ;  but  in  this 
part  of  the  country  there  would  be  room  enough  yet 
for  you  and  me. 

Those  who  prefer  continental  travelling,  where 
the  sympathies  are  scarcely  ever  called  forth  by  a 
sight  of  rural  habitations,  might  think  this  wilder- 
ness of  natural  beauty  sufficiently  interesting ;  but 
scenery  appears  to  me  like  a  body  without  a  spirit, 
unless  there  be  added  to  all  the  decorations  of  nature 
some  signs  of  human  life.  I  used  to  be  told,  that 
no  one  could  look  steadily  at  a  mountain  for  ten 
minutes  without  discovering  some  living  creature 
upon  it ;  but  here  you  might  watch  during  a  long 
summer's  day,  and  see  nothing  more  alive  than  the 
rocks.  Travellers,  in  a  precipitous  country  hke 
this,  should  get  their  nerves  newly  strung  for  the 
occasion,  as  the  road  is  really  like  a  slack-rope  slung 
between  the  mountains.  In  places  where  we  should 
merely  have  been  killed  on  the  spot  by  an  overturn, 
there  were  no  parapets ;  but  where  wc  must  have 
been  literally  dashed  to  atoms,  a  low  wall  had  been 
raised,  merely  sufficient  to  give  the  horse  a  hint  that 
14 


154  *  GLENFINNAN. 

he  was  not  expected  to  go  over,  though  he  dehghted 
to  approach  the  very  edge,  as  if  enjoying  the  jest 
of  terrifying  me.  This  animal  must  certainly  once 
have  been  a  civil  engineer,  he  detected  so  instantly 
the  slightest  ascent  in  the  road,  when  no  inducement 
could  make  him  at  all  accelerate  the  lounging  pace 
in  which  he  felt  entitled  to  indulge.  At  one  place, 
in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  we  suddenly  turned  a 
sharp  corner  of  the  road,  and  came  so  startingly 
close  to  a  blazing  fire  surrounded  by  gypsies,  that 
our  quadruped  shyed,  and  instantly  backed  to  the 
very  edge  of  a  precipice.  One  step  more  and  we 
were  over,  when  a  tall,  fine-looking  "  Johnnie  Faa" 
sprung  forward,  and  seized  the  horse's  bridle.  Now 
for  a  robbery !  No  !  but  having  led  us  safely  past 
the  danger,  he  vanished,  without  waiting  to  be  either 
thanked  or  remunerated. 

Near  the  head  of  Glenfinnan  lies  a  beautiful 
tract  of  country  where  I  built  my  fifty-ninth  cottage. 
The  Trossachs  are  nothing  to  this !  Loch  Shell 
hemmed  in  by  a  rugged  range  of  rocky  knolls,  which 
are  surmounted  by  peaked  mountains  and  shaggy 
precipices.  The  hills  were  formerly  clothed  with 
forests,  now  thinned  into  beautiful  clumps  of  hoary 
old  fir  trees,  stretching  their  long  bare  arms  in  fan- 
tastic shapes  and  forms  towards  the  road,  and  con- 
trasted with  the  pea-green  fohage  of  the  young 
birch  wood.     The  whole  scene  is  enclosed  within  a 


GLENFINNAN.  *  155 

stony  range  of  barren  mountains,  looking  as  if  their 
very  bones  had  been  picked,  and  conspicuous  in  the 
centre  of  this  glen  stands  a  monument  raised  to  com- 
memorate the  spot  where  Prince  Charles  first  landed 
"  to  win  the  crown  of  his  ancestors  or  perish,"  and 
to  take  possession  of  a  country  which  must  indeed 
have  seemed  well  worth  fio;htino;  for.  Here  he 
gazed  for  the  first  time  on  its  verdant  fields,  its  lim- 
pid streams,  its  waving  forests,  and  the  bold  heights 
of  Ben  Nevis  rising  four  thousand  feet  above  the 
spot  where  he  stood,  and  here  once  more  Charles 
Edward,  as  a  conquered  fugitive,  looked  for  the  last 
time  upon  his  native  country  and  hereditary  king- 
dom, before  he  re-embarked  to  leave  it  for  ever. 
They  were  bitter  tears  shed  by  the  last  of  the  Stuarts 
near  this  very  spot,  when,  surrounded  by  more  than 
a  hundred  Highland  gentlemen  whom  his  enterprise 
had  ruined,  he  drew  his  sword  with  Princely  dignity 
to  begin  an  animating  speech,  but  on  turning  to  the 
brave  men  following  him  to  banishment,  he  was 
struck  to  the  heart  with  grief,  suddenly  sheathed  it, 
and  wept  in  silence.  The  monument  is  "  neat  and 
appropriate,"  but  not  very  unlike  a  candlestick,  sur- 
mounted by  a  diminutive  statue  of  the  Prince,  who 
is  supposed  to  be  anxiously  watching  for  the  arrival 
of  Locheil  and  his  adherents.  When  the  works  of  na- 
ture are  on  so  gigantic  a  scale,  any  work  of  man  must 
appear,  as  this  does,  like  a  contribution  from  a  toy  shop. 


156  ARISAIG. 

An  inn  is  kept  at  Glenfinnan  by  the  tallest  man 
in  the  Highlands,  who  measures  six  feet  seven, — or 
seven  feet  six, — and  is  large  in  proportion.  Our 
host  is  said  to  be  vain  of  his  prodigious  celebrity, 
and  it  is  well  for  him  if  he  can  consider  it  an  advan- 
tage, but  your  friend,  who  pitied  a  glow-worm  for 
carrying  a  light  because  it  was  conspicuous,  would 
not  envy  him.  Some  people  are  vain  of  any  pecu- 
liarity, and  would  like  to  be  remarked  for  having 
two  arms,  or  only  one  nose,  if  that  were  at  all  un- 
common, but  the  love  of  notoriety,  without  being 
very  fastidious  as  to  the  cause,  was  never  more  curi- 
ously testified  than  by  Voltaire,  who  envied  a  robber 
for  being  hanged,  because  it  made  him  celebrated 
for  a  time. 

After  wearying  ourselves  with  admiring  a  med- 
ley of  promontories,  precipices,  islands,  mountains, 
forests,  bays,  and  creeks,  we  arrived  at  Arisaig, 
which  is  so  unusual  a  route  anywhere,  that  the  inn- 
keeper seemed  in  as  much  consternation  at  the  arri- 
val of  travellers,  as  if  we  had  been  comets,  or  had 
rode  upon  broomsticks.  Till  the  landlady  recovered 
her  presence  of  mind,  she  ushered  us  into  the  kitchen, 
apologizing  that  her  parlour  and  three  best  bed- 
rooms had  been  constantly  occupied  during  the  last 
twelve  summers  by  a  trio  of  gentlemen  from  Ox- 
ford, who  come  there  to  enjoy  fishing  and  shooting 
during  the  whole  season,     I  wish  Messrs.  Templar, 


ARISAIG.  157 

Chaplin,  and  Thorpe,  had  each  a  Highland  estate, 
since  they  seem  so  well  disposed  towards  the  coun- 
try ;  but  in  the  meantime  it  would  have  been  conve- 
nient to  enforce  at  Arisaig,  the  regulation  made  at 
the  New  Club,  that  no  person  can  occupy  his  rooms 
above  a  fortnight,  without  making  way  for  a  suc- 
cessor. 

Late  in  the  evening,  we  were  at  length  shown 
into  a  sitting-room,  resembling  an  armory  of  guns, 
varied  by  fishing  rods,  and  adorned  with  a  greater 
variety  of  flies  than  Domitian  ever  killed.  Here  be- 
ing allowed  by  special  license  to  partake  of  some 
refreshment,  we  "  tea'd,"  though  certainly  the  tea 
was  not  from  Assam  or  from  the  Emperor  of  China's 
own  tea-chest,  but  came,  more  probably,  off  the 
neighbouring  hedges  or  hay-fields. 

Lord  Cranstoun's  beautifully  situated  cottage 
near  this,  might  be  mistaken  for  a  villa  from  Chel- 
tenham, but  shows  no  resemblance  to  a  cottage,  ex- 
cept in  the  name,  being  a  solid  substantial  square 
mansion,  situated  in  a  perfect  paradise  for  sportsmen, 
as  the  grounds  are  quite  a  zoological  garden  of 
birds,  animals,  and  fish,  wild,  tame,  and  amphibious, 
every  species  of  living  creature  in  short,  except  man- 
kind ;  but  the  solitude  around  this  charming  place  is 
like  that  on  Robinson  Crusoe's  island,  before  he  came 
there  himself  The  motto  of  Lord  Cranstoun's  family 
is  rather  a  selfish  one, "  Thou  shalt  want  ere  I  want !" 
14* 


158  ARISAIG. 

A  profound  author  makes  the  very  original  re- 
mark that,  "every  day  must  be  followed  by  its 
nightj"  and,  having  been  asleep  for  some  time,  I 
shall  now  wish  myself  a  good  repose.  You  once 
d  escribed  a  novel  to  me  as  "  a  book  of  sitting-up- 
ali-night  interest,"  which  I  hope  this  long  letter  may 
prove,  when  you  honour  it  with  a  perusal,  and  pray 
write  me  a  Rowland  for  an  Oliver,  as  I  rigidly  ad- 
here, with  my  correspondents,  to  that  sagacious  old 
rule,  "  never  give  an  apple,  except  to  those  who 
have  an  orchard."  You  have  some  good  qualities, 
but  frequent  letter-writing  is  certainly  not  one  of 
them,  and,  like  Sheridan,  who  always  contrived, 
when  his  creditors  came  for  payment,  to  out-wit 
them  and  borrow  more,  you  excel  so  much  in  apol- 
ogies, that  after  having  intended  your  last  "  small 
note"  to  be  protested,  I  now^  send  you  a  larger  in- 
stalment than  ever,  though  scarcely  hoping  to  receive 
more  than  one  per  cent,  in  return. 

After  all  our  difficulties  and  dangers,  I  may  con- 
clude this  epistle  with  saying,  like  Lord  Grizzle  in 
Tom  Thumb, 

"  Thus  far  our  arms  with  victory  are  crown'd  ; 
For  though  we  have  not  fought,  yet  we  have  found 
No  enemy  to  fight  withal." 


SKYE. 


There  is  a  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods, 
There  is  a  rapture  in  the  lonely  shore, 
There  is  society  where  none  intrudes, 
By  the  deep  sea,  and  music  in  its  roar. 

Byron. 

My  dear  Cousin, — The  Vicar  of  Wakefield  gives 
great  encouragement  to  hasty  scribblers,  by  remark- 
ing, that  "  a  book  may  be  amusing  with  numerous 
errors,  and  dull  without  a  single  absurdity ;"  there- 
fore pray  take  this  as  you  find  it,  and  I  hope  you  are 
not  yet  surfeited  with  beautiful  scenery  and  miscel- 
laneous jottings. 

Having  scarcely  ever,  during  the  last  few  weeks, 
escaped  the  sound  of  wheels,  belonging  either  to  a 
carriage,  or  a  steam-boat,  it  was  an  agreeable  vari- 
ety this  morning  when  we  entered  the  Excise  boat, 
an  elegant  little  sailing  vessel,  ready  to  assist  us  in 
crossing  the  fifteen  miles  between  Arisaig  and  the 
Isle  of  Skye,  which  takes  its  name  from  a  Danish 
word,  signifying  the  Isle  of  Mist. 

During  our  voyage  in  this  little  fairy  vessel,  I 
could  have  pitied  all  the  world  but  ourselves,  we 
were  so  enchanted.  It  is  curious  that  the  utmost 
expression  of  enjoyment  you  can  succeed  in  drawing 


160  SKYE. 

from  a  Scotch  peasant  is,  "  I  canna  complain !" 
Some  people  thinli:  it  beneath  their  dignity  to  be  en- 
tirely pleased  under  any  circumstances  ;  but  I  coin- 
cide with  the  philosopher  who  remarked,  that  it  was 
better  to  be  born  with  a  disposition  to  look  at  the 
bright  side  of  things,  than  to  an  estate  of  j£20,000  a 
year.  Travellers  carry  their  own  pleasure,  or  ennui, 
like  their  baggage,  along  with  them ;  but  yet  the 
more  nearly  we  approach  the  confines  of  perfect 
happiness,  the  more  is  our  enjoyment  mingled  with 
a  feeling  of  awe,  in  reflecting  that  we  are  in  a  world 
w^here  nothing  can  last ;  and  pleasure  least  of  all. 

The  difference  between  a  steam-boat  and  a 
sailing-vessel  seemed  as  great  at  first,  as  between  a 
caterpillar  and  a  butterfly,  but  my  contempt  for 
boilers  and  funnels  did  not  last  long,  as  we  were 
very  soon  becalmed,  when  a  few  turns  of  the  vulgar 
paddle  would  have  been  very  acceptable.  What  a 
convenience  the  trade  winds  must  be  !  I  thought  of 
the  dialogue  between  Macbeth's  witches.  "I'll 
give  thee  a  wdnd !"  "  Thou  art  kind !"  but  it 
w^ould  not  have  suited  me  to  continue  the  dialogue, 
"  In  a  sieve  I'll  thither  sail !"  The  two  boatmen 
wdelded  their  oars,  and  laboured  so  hard,  under  a 
burning  sun  during  five  hours,  that  I  really  felt 
grieved  for  them,  and  when  the  dark  brown  sail 
waved  idly  over  our  heads,  I  wished  it  were  turned 
into  a  canopy  of  smoke,  that  we  might  have  enjoyed 


ARMroALE    CASTLE.  161 

all  the  stir  and  bustle  of  cutting  through  the  water 
by  steam.  The  useful  is,  in  the  long  run,  always 
preferable  to  the  ornamental,  and  w^e  had  abundant 
time  to  arrive  at  this  conclusion,  while  sitting  on 
the  w^ater,  making  no  perceptible  progress,  and  with 
nothing  to  do  but  look  at  the  rugged  hills  of  Skye, 
w^hich  seemed  never  any  nearer. 

Being  obliged  to  make  for  the  nearest  point  in 
order  to  arrive  before  midnight,  we  landed  at  Ard- 
voiser  Bay,  on  a  long  range  of  high,  sharp,  slippery 
rocks,  covered  wdth  wet  sea-w^eed,  and  betraying 
us  every  moment  into  a  false  step.  Here  our  diffi- 
cult and  dangerous  progress  became  an  apt  emblem 
of  prosperity,  as  the  higher  w^e  rose,  the  less  hope 
there  was  of  escaping  a  fall.  At  one  place,  where 
I  was  tottering  and  sliding  over  a  wilderness  of  sea- 
weed and  rocks,  all  more  slippery  than  ice,  and 
thinking  of  Glengarry,  a  sure-footed  Highlander, 
fracturing  his  skull  in  such  a  scene,  I  began  to  feel 
serious  doubts  whether  my  own  could  be  safely  con- 
veyed to  terra  firma,  and  felt  perfectly  certain,  that 
the  first  man  who  invented  piers,  did  so  after 
landing  at  Ardvoiser  Bay,  or  some  place  very 
like  it. 

Two  thirds  of  Skye  belonged  to  my  grand- 
father and  uncle  in  succession,  who  are  now^  repre- 
sented by  the  present  chieftain,  Lord  Macdonald,  to 
whose  beautifully   situated  castle  we  immediately 


162  ARMIDALE    CASTLE. 

proceeded,  though  obUged  on  this  occasion  to  bene- 
fit by  the  hospitahty  of  an  absent  relative.  Stran- 
gers, in  former  days,  whom  the  family  had  never 
even  seen,  used  to  be  entertained  at  Armidale  castle 
by  the  factor,  and  often  remained  for  several  days ; 
but  on  entering  the  silent  halls  and  uninhabited 
apartments,  we  felt,  like  Hajii  Baba,  the  want  of  a 
friend  to  say,  "  you  are  welcome."  The  feeling  of 
solitude  was  singularly  and  painfully  increased  by 
seeing  the  almost  living  portraits  of  those  who  once 
would  have  given  us  so  cordial  a  reception.  All 
around  appeared  the  relations  with  whom  our  ear- 
liest recollections  of  kindness  were  associated, — and 
yet  we  were  alone  !  I  never  knew  the  power  of 
painting  before  !  We  were  at  last  in  that  house, 
where  they  had  so  often  wished  us  to  visit  them, 
and  of  which  they  had  spoken  with  so  much  delight ; 
but  we  had  come  after  their  voices  are  silent,  and 
the  place  that  once  knew  them  shall  know  them  no 
more.  It  was  a  solemn  and  mournful  feeling,  and 
when  I  looked  for  the  first  time  on  our  forefathers, 
and  thought  on  their  more  ancient  progenitors,  who 
were  sovereign  Princes  of  the  Isles,  entering  into 
treaties  with  the  monarchs  of  England,  making  war 
on  the  kings  of  Scotland,  and  intermarrying  with 
their  families,  I  could  not  but  remember  the  pa- 
thetic language  of  Ossian,  "  Where  are  our  fathers, 
O  chiefs  of  the  times  of  old  ?     They  are  set  like 


ARMIDALE   CASTLE.  163 

stars  that  have  shone,  we  only  hear  the  sound  of 
their  praise.  But  they  were  renowned  in  their  day, 
and  the  terror  of  other  times.  Thus  do  we  pass  in 
the  day  of  our  fall,  like  the  last  beams  of  the  sun, 
when  he  hides  his  red  head  in  the  west." 

Here  a  gothic  window  of  painted  glass,  exhibits 
a  portrait  in  full  Highland  garb,  representing  the 
celebrated  Somerled,  first  Lord  of  the  Isles,  a  dis- 
tinguished warrior  six  hundred  years  ago,  who  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  a  Norwegian  king,  and  founded 
the  family  of  Macdonald.  It  is  related  of  him,  that 
being  once  on  a  very  small  island,  with  only  a  hun- 
dred followers,  he  was  besieged  by  the  whole  Nor- 
wegian fleet,  and  apprehensive  that  the  enemy  might 
overpower  him,  he  adopted  a  singular  stratagem  to 
intimidate  them  from  landing.  The  whole  force 
under  his  command  being  clothed  in  goats'  skins, 
he  ordered  the  Highlanders  to  march  round  the 
island  with  their  colours  flying,  and  their  bagpipes 
playing.  This  attracted  attention,  and  the  moment 
his  troops  had  passed  out  of  sight,  the  men  were 
desired  to  turn  their  coats  inside  out,  and  with  this 
altered  exterior,  and  a  different  gathering  played  on 
the  bagpipes,  they  marched  past  the  Norwegian 
fleet  again.  Having  repeated  a  similar  metamor- 
phosis several  times,  the  invaders  became  intimi- 
dated at  the  number  of  regiments  apparently  mus- 
tering to  oppose  them,  and  set  sail  without  beat  of 


164  ARMiDALE   CASTLE. 

drmn.  This  is  the  only  instance  on  record  when  a 
Lord  of  the  Isles  became  a  turn-coat. 

The  portrait  of  chief  general  interest  in  Armi- 
dale  Castle,  is  that  of  the  celebrated  Sir  James  Mac- 
donald,  whose  early  death  at  the  age  of  twenty-five, 
was  universally  lamented  as  an  irreparable  loss  to 
literature  and  to  society.  Like  the  Admirable  Crich- 
ton,  he  was  prepared  and  trained  to  excel  in  the 
race  which  Providence  ordained  that  he  never  should 
run,  so  that  while  all  were  ready  to  yield  him  the 
palm  of  triumphant  success,  he  sunk  into  an  un- 
timely grave.  The  extraordinary  honours  paid  to 
his  memory  at  Rome,  notwithstanding  his  being  a 
Protestant,  exceeded  what  had  ever  been  shown  to 
any  British  subject  since  the  death  of  Sir  Philip 
Sidney;  and  his  epitaph,  or  rather  panegyric,  writ- 
ten by  the  famous  Lord  Littleton,  is  carved  on  mar- 
ble in  the  parish  church  at  Armidale.  There  buried 
in  the  coffin  beside  himself  lie  all  his  writings  and 
papers  !  Though  admired  and  honoured  by  all  oth- 
ers, he  courted  privacy  himself,  and  drew  a  promise 
from  Lady  Margaret  Macdonald,  his  mother,  that 
not  a  page  he  had  ever  written  should  be  preserved, 
to  which  she  rigidly  adhered,  and  thus  the  halo  that 
shines  around  the  memory  of  so  distinguished  a 
scholar  is  untarnished  by  the  cupidity  or  injudicious- 
ness  of  survivors. 

In  the  present  bookmaking  age,  no  precaution 


ARMIDALE    CASTLE.  165 

on  his  own  part  could  probably  have  shielded  Sir 
James  Macdonald  from  becoming  the  subject  of  a 
catch-penny  volume,  containing  recollections  of  his 
fire-side  conversations,  varied  by  a  transcript  of  all 
his  boyish  themes,  and  how-d'ye-do  letters ;  but  a 
law  should  really  be  passed,  making  it  felonious  to 
attempt  any  man's  life  against  his  consent,  and  if 
he  gives  it,  I  would  bring  in  a  verdict  oi  felo  de  se. 
The  race  of  self-interested  speculators  in  biography 
had  scarcely  then  appeared  in  the  world,  so  that  an 
eminent  man  might  slip  out  of  it  without  suffering 
from  that  "  new  terror  of  death,"  the  assassination 
of  fame  which  pursues  a  helpless  mortal  after  he 
ought  to  be  laid  at  rest  in  the  grave.  I  remember 
being  amused  once  at  a  jocular  advertisement  w^hich 
appeared  in  the  newspaper,  announcing  "  the  remi- 
niscences of  a  small  puppy  dog,"  that  Hved  in  a  cage 
beside  the  lion  at  Exeter  'Change.  He  is  supposed, 
like  any  other  biographer  of  the  present  day,  to  bring 
the  noble  animal  as  much  to  his  own  level  as  possi- 
ble, and  confidently  announces  his  pretensions  in 
these  lines, — 


And  few  dogs  have  such  opportunities  bad, 
Of  Icnowing  how  lions  behave  among  friends, — 
How  that  animal  eats,  how  he  moves,  how  he  drinks, 
Is  all  noted  down  by  this  Boswellso  small, 
And  'tis  plain,  from  each  sentence,  the  puppy-dog  thinks 
That  the  lion  was  no  such  great  things  after  all. 
15 


166  ARMITALE    CASTLE. 

The  best  portrait  of  Sir  James  Macdonald  was 
painted  at  Rome,  a  very  short  time  before  his  death. 
He  is  seated  in  an  arm-chair,  turning  over  the  leaves 
of  a  book,  and  nothing  can  be  more  touchingly  in- 
teresting than  the  thoughtful  melancholy  expression 
on  his  pallid  countenance,  while  his  high  expanded 
forehead  would  have  perfectly  enraptured  a  phre- 
nologist. An  earlier  picture  represents  him  in  the 
Highland  costume  as  a  boy,  carrying  his  gun,  w^hile 
his  younger  brother,  w-ho  afterw^ards  inherited  the 
chieftainship,  is  playing  at  golf  with  the  ball  at  his 
foot,  an  emblem  perhaps  of  the  good  fortune  which 
attended  all  his  subsequent  life. 

When  a  very  ancient  chief  of  the  Grants  was 
offered  the  Earldom  of  Seafield,  he  proudly  declined 
it,  saying,  "  Who  would  then  be  Laird  of  Grant  ?" 
and  it  has  been  thought  that  the  chieftain  of  Mac- 
c  onald,  representing  the  ancient  Lords  of  the  Isles, 
need  scarcely  have  accepted  a  coronet ;  but  when 
the  title  was  given,  peerages  were  peerages,  not  pro- 
duced in  annual  Whig  crops,  apparently  at  random, 
but  reserved  for  men  of  fortune,  family  and  distinc- 
tion. The  chieftainship  of  a  Clan,  not  being  a 
chartered  title,  disputes  have  arisen  during  the  pre- 
sent day  respecting  the  pre-eminence  in  almost  every 
Highland  family,  and  none  is  more  keenly  contested 
than  that  of  Macdonald.  In  various  distinguished 
branches  of  the  feimily,  a  mistaken  belief  arose,  that 


ARMIDALE    CASTLE.  167 

by  proving  themselves  to  represent  Ranald  Macdon- 
ald,  and  to  have  inherited  his  name  as  Ranaldson  or 
Clanranald,  they  at  once  obtained  the  supremacy, 
whereas,  the  point  to  be  demonstrated,  is  not  "  the 
true  Ranaldson,"  but  the  true  "  Macdonald,"  a  name 
by  which  the  present  chief  is  known  throughout  the 
Isles. 

The  accurate  and  investigating  Dr.  Johnson, 
during  his  visit  to  Skye,  made  no  mistake  on  this 
point ;  but  Sir  Walter  Scott,  less  historically  correct, 
bestowed  brevet  rank  on  an  "  island  Lord"  who 
suited  his  poetical  narrative,  in  consequence  of 
which,  the  claimant  to  whom  he  gave  a  preference 
wrote  immediately  to  the  late  Alexander  Lord  Mac- 
donald, urging  him  to  acknowledge  the  justness  of 
this  unforeseen  promotion. 

My  uncle,  more  amused  than  irritated,  returned 
the  following  answer,  characteristic  of  his  usual 
urbanity  and  good  humour. 

"Dear  Sir, — Till  you  prove  that  you  are  my 
chieftain,  I  am  yours, 

"  Macdonald." 

When  Sir  Walter  Scott  spoke  slightingly  once 
of  the  "  Slate  family,"  as  he  named  that  of  the 
chief,  on  account  of  his  property  being  situated  in 
the  district  of  Sleat,  a  relation  who   was  present 


168  ARMIDALE    CASTLE. 

remarked,  "  You  will  find,  on  inquiry,  that  in  the 
house  of  Macdonald,  the  Slates  were  always  upper- 
most." 

Alexander  Lord  Macdonald,  for  many  years  the 
liberal  benefactor  of  Skye,  is  still  remembered  there 
with  a  warmth  of  gratitude,  which  neither  time  nor 
death  have  yet  obliterated,  and  every  eye  brightened 
with  pleasing  recollection  when  we  mentioned  his 
name.  He  lived  on  terms  of  cordial  intimacy  with 
his  clansmen  and  tenantry,  whose  interests  it  w^as  his 
chief  pleasure,  during  a  long  succession  of  years,  to 
promote,  while  the  greater  proportion  of  his  large 
income  was  expended  on  the  improvement  and 
decoration  of  his  estate.  An  English  visiter  once 
asked  him  with  surprise,  how  it  happened  that  all 
his  principal  tenants  came  to  dine  at  Armidale 
Castle  whenever  they  pleased,  while  in  the  South, 
farmers  are  welcomed  only  when  they  come  to  pay 
their  rents,  to  which  he  replied,  "  Your  English 
tenants  are  all  boors,  but  mine  are  Highland  gentle- 
men of  family  and  education." 

Alexander  Lord  Macdonald  lived  to  complete 
only  one-third  of  the  magnificent  castle  Avhich  he 
intended  to  raise  here,  on  a  plan  by  Gillespie,  but 
even  this  comparatively  moderate  house  forms  a  fine 
residence  in  the  Gothic  style.  The  situation  is  in- 
describably beautiful,  almost  overhanging  an  elbow 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  surrounded  by  a  finely-wooded 


BROADFORD.  169 

park,  with  trees  crowded  to  the  shore,  ahnost  within 
water-mark,  and  the  verdant  forests,  strangely  con- 
trasted by  a  wall  of  barren  mountains,  ranged  along 
the  opposite  coast,  so  bare  and  rugged,  that  you 
might  suppose  they  had  been  blasted  by  lightning 
Towards  evening,  the  setting  sun  cast  a  ruddy  glare 
over  those  gigantic  hills  of  Moidart,  which  made 
them  look  like  red  porphyry,  while  the  clouds  seemed 
to  be  raining  fire  upon  them. 

When  the  Duke  of  Orleans  travelled  through 
Scotland,  he  mentioned  that  no  scenery  on  the  Con- 
tinent, or  elsewhere,  had  ever  astonished  him  so 
much  as  the  Coulin  mountains  of  Skye,  and  I  tied  a 
knot  on  my  memory  at  the  moment  to  take  the 
earliest  opportunity  of  going  there.  That  countiy 
was,  however,  a  perfect  cnl  de  sac  till  lately,  very 
difficult  to  get  into,  and  still  more  difficult  to  escape 
from,  but  now,  when  steamboats  have  rendered  every 
place  almost  equally  accessible,  you  may  see  flocks 
and  herds  of  visiters  hurrying  across  from  the  main- 
land, and  next  morning  we  proceeded  towards  the 
grand  point  of  attraction,  Loch  Scavaig.  Our  drive 
across  the  country  towards  Broadford,  led  through  a 
country,  in  some  places,  so  flat  and  barren,  you 
might  see  a  hare  half  a  mile  off",  and  the  heavy  wet 
clouds  seemed  entirely  to  have  sponged  the  sun  out 
of  the  sky.  The  view  continued  to  be  a  spacious 
blank,  till  at  last  we  came  in  sight  of  a  fine  Vesu- 
15* 


170  BROADFORD. 

vius-like  mountain,  on  the  summit  of  which  a  Nor- 
wegian princess  once  desired  to  be  buried,  that  her 
dirge  might  be  sung  by  her  native  breezes.  The 
idea  sounds  pretty  and  poetical,  but  there  is  not  much 
more  actual  sense  in  it,  than  in  the  order  given  by 
an  Austrian  princess,  that  her  body  should  not  be 
buried  in  the  family  vault,  as  the  last  person  interred 
there  had  died  of  the  small-pox. 

The  only  -visible  occupants  of  the  small  inn  at 
Broadford,  where  we  stopped  to  dine,  were  a  pretty 
little  girl,  about  fourteen,  who  received  our  orders 
in  the  triple  capacity-  of  landlady,  chambermaid,  and 
cook,  while  a  boy  still  younger  seemed  to  hold  an 
equal  plurality  of  offices.  These  young  persons  are 
the  grandchildren  of  a  ferryman,  named  MTnnes,  to 
whom  Prince  Charles,  in  his  utmost  extremity,  ap- 
plied for  assistance  after  the  battle  of  Culloden.  The 
Prince's  object  was  to  escape  from  Skye,  and  the 
generous  Highlander,  knowing  what  a  dangerous 
service  it  might  be,  and  that  a  reward  of  ^£30,000 
would  be  paid  him  for  betraying  the  royal  fugitive, 
nevertheless  carried  him  safely  over  from  Strathaird 
to  Arisaig.  In  returning,  this  faithful  adherent  was 
seized  by  a  king's  ship,  under  command  of  Captain 
Ferguson,  who  guessed  he  had  some  knowledge  of 
Prince  Charles's  concealment,  and  tried  to  extort  a 
confession,  first  by  persuasion,  and  afterwards  by  in- 
flicting five  hundred  lashes,  with  cruel  severity,  but 


STRATH.  171 

all  in  vain.  The  secret  remained  untold,  and  M'ln- 
nes  received  no  other  reward  for  his  magnanimous 
conduct,  than  the  inward  consciousness  of  integrity, 
while  to  his  descendants  he  has  bequeathed  an  hon- 
ourable poverty,  and  a  name  that  ought  not  to  be 
forgotten. 

After  having  paraded  through  Broadford,  in- 
specting the  village-pump  and  other  public  build- 
ings, we  returned  to  dine  on  ham  of  every  kind, 
and  eggs  of  every  date,  but  scarcely  had  we  sat 
down,  before  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mackinnon  arrived,  with 
so  cordial  an  invitation  to  the  house  of  his  brother- 
in-law,  Mr.  Mackinnon  of  Corrichatican,  that  in  half 
an  hour  I  found  myself  transported  into  an  elegant 
drawing-room,  under  the  same  roof  w^ith  the  vener- 
able Mrs.  Mackinnon,  aged  95,  who  formerly  enter- 
tained Dr.  Johnson  in  Skye,  enjoying  a  splendid  sea 
view  from  the  window,  and  welcomed  by  an  agree- 
able circle  of  ready-made  friends,  who  had  not  been 
conscious  of  our  existence  an  hour  before.  There 
really  seems  to  be  a  "  Strangers'  friend  society"  at 
every  house  on  the  island,  and  no  one  can  feel  him- 
self a  stranger  long.  The  inns  having  no  horses  or 
conveyance  of  any  kind,  travellers  in  Skye  move 
about  like  the  Ayrshire  beggars,  who  are  laid  help- 
lessly down  at  a  door,  till,  having  been  received  and 
refreshed,  they  can  be  passed  on  to  the  nearest 
house  beyond.     After  spending  a  day  most  agreea- 


172  STRATH. 

bly  at  Corry,  we  were  conveyed  to  the  manse  at 
Strath,  where  the  most  unquaUfied  and  abundant  at- 
tention is  paid  to  that  injunction  of  Scripture,  "  use 
hospitaUty  one  towards  another,  without  grudging." 
Mr.  Mackinnon  made  his  house,  his  time,  and  his 
servants,  entirely  our  own,  and  we  felt  so  much  at 
home,  during  the  two  days  of  our  stay,  that  I  could 
not  but  think  the  visiters  at  the  manse  of  Strath 
must  sometimes  be  in  danger  of  forgetting  Solo- 
mon's admonition  to  guests,  "  remove  thy  foot  from 
thy  neighbour's  house,  lest  he  weary  of  thee,  and 
curse  thee." 

We  went  on  Sunday  to  hear  Mr.  Mackinnon 
preach,  first  in  Gaelic  and  then  in  English.  The 
parish  church  being  now  in  a  ruinous,  tumble-down 
state,  both  services  were  performed  in  the  open  air, 
which,  on  a  fine  summer  day,  has  a  truly  delightful 
and  apostolical  appearance.  We  sat  on  a  carpet  of 
daisies,  surrounded  by  mountains,  and  canopied  by  a 
gorgeous  azure  sky,  reminding  us  of  the  power  and 
presence  of  an  Almighty  Creator,  more  than  any 
walls  built  by  human  skill,  while  the  sacred  music 
of  the  psalms  was  mingled  with  the  notes  of  a 
blackbird,  the  humming  of  bees,  the  bleating  of 
sheep,  and  the  distant  cry  of  the  sea-gulls.  All 
nature  seemed  united  to  "  speak  our  Maker  as  we 
can." 

There  we  literally  seemed  to  breathe  liquid  sun- 


STRATH.  173 

shine,  but  in  cities,  the  want  of  ventilation  at  our 
churches  and  chapels  is  a  serious  grievance,  and  an 
eminent  chemist,  wishing  lately  to  prove  what  a 
poisonous  atmosphere  is  endured  by  crowded  con- 
gregations at  Edinburgh,  carefully  bottled  off  a  spe- 
cimen of  the  air  in  various  churches,  after  the  audi- 
ence had  dispersed.  The  result  was,  that  a  fly  could 
scarcely  survive  upon  the  polluted  air,  which  had 
been  breathed  successively  by  a  dozen  of  persons 
at  least,  or,  if  the  sermon  had  been  long,  by  double 
the  number.  I  often  wish  that  air  might  become 
dyed  of  a  different  colour,  after  being  used,  that 
those  who  live  in  a  perpetual  terror  of  fresh  air 
might  see  the  poisonous  atmosphere  to  which  they 
condemn  themselves,  for  all  the  tasteful  rurahties  of 
life  are  destroyed  by  those  who  dread  the  gentlest 
zephyrs,  and  some  of  our  friends,  even  if  they  lived 
in  a  bottle,  would  wish  to  put  the  cork  in.  Mr. 
Irving  used  to  say  that  he  had  "  a  satin  and  velvet 
congregation"  at  his  chapel  in  London,  but  here  we 
saw  one  entirely  of  tartan.  The  people  were  almost 
universally  of  the  lower  ranks,  and  so  indigent,  that 
the  usual  Scotch  custom  of  making  a  collection 
during  service,  for  the  poor,  was  entirely  omitted,  as 
most  of  those  present  would  have  only  been  giving 
with  one  hand,  to  receive  in  another.  Still  I  re- 
gretted the  omission,  even  though  our  subscription 
had  been  like  that  in   the  famous   anti-climax  of 


174  STRATH. 

O'Connell's  rent,  "  a  penny  from  the  poor  man,  a 
half-penny  from  the  beggar  man,  and  a  farthing 
from  the  starving  man." 

One  of  the  most  indigent  old  men  in  the  con- 
gregation we  observed  indefatigably  handing  about 
his  own  "  snuff  mull"  among  his  very  poor  looking 
neighbours,  and  I  could  not  but  admire  the  spirit  of 
gentleman-like  liberality  with  which  he  made  eveiy 
one  welcome  to  share  the  greatest  luxmy  he  could 
offer.  Two  very  aged  women,  to  whom  he  was 
peculiarly  attentive,  reclined  almost  full-length  on 
the  turf  beside  him,  and  the  thought  forced  itself 
upon  me,  how  soon  they  must  all  be  laid  beneath 
it, — "  Time  had  shaken  them  by  the  hand,  and 
death  could  not  be  far  behind."  When  looking  at 
this  "  old  kirk-yard,"  which  seemed  like  "  a  valley 
of  dry  bones,"  the  fresh  green  grass  waving  in  the 
breeze  over  the  ancient  graves  of  many  a  departed 
generation,  it  was  impressive  to  reflect  how  thin  a 
barrier  divided  us  all, — that  the  sun  above  our  heads 
was  only  lighting  us  to  the  tomb, — that  every  hour 
which  strikes,  and  every  pulse  which  beats,  is  the 
knell  of  departing  time, — that  many  a  Sabbath  is 
already  registered  in  the  eternal  record  on  our  ac- 
count,— and  that  soon,  very  soon,  the  sum  of  all  our 
Sabbath    shall  be  made  up. 

No  choice  is  allowed  us  when  or  where  we  shall 
go  through  the  solemn  mystery  of  death  ;  but  how 


STRATH.  175 

to  meet  its  sacred  terrors  is  the  one  only  point  of 
importance,  and  that  is  placed  in  om*  own  hands, 
whether  we  shall  rush  unprepared  and  unwilling 
into  the  presence  of  an  offended  Judge,  or  pass,  w^ith 
holy  hope  and  peaceful  resignation,  into  the  man- 
sions of  a  forgiving  and  beneficent  Father. 

There  would  be  no  unhappiness  in  this  world  if 
we  could  conform  our  wills  entirely  to  the  will  of 
God,  but  such  a  feeling,  in  its  utmost  perfection, 
can  never  be  attained  while  the  soul  continues  im- 
prisoned in  a  mortal  body ;  yet  men  are  happy  in 
exact  proportion  as  they  advance  in  such  an  implicit 
submission  to  the  Almighty ;  and  it  is  the  greatest 
triumph  of  faith  over  nature,  when  we  can  see  hope 
even  illuminate  the  grave,  and  calmly  acquiesce  in 
the  solemn  decree,  that  the  tomb  shall  speedily 
close  between  us,  and  all  we  have  ever  yet  seen  or 
known,  confidently  believing  that  an  admission  has 
been  obtained  for  us,  undeser\ing  as  w^e  are,  into  a 
brighter  and  better  world,  "  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." 

There  w^as  a  strange  mixture  of  belief  and  infi- 
delity in  the  last  words  of  Thistlewood  the  murderer, 
before  he  was  launched  into  eternity,  "  I  shall  soon 
know  the  great  secret !"  The  Highlanders  talk  of 
death  with  as  much  fearlessness  as  if  it  were  the 
escape  of  a  bird  from  its  cage,  or  like  cutting  the 
cables  that  confine  a  balloon  to  the  earth ;  and  they 


176  STRATH. 

have  a  curious  custom  of  sending  messages  to  the 
dead  by  their  dying  friends, — for  in  no  country  are 
the  deceased  so  entirely  spoken  of,  and  thought  of, 
as  being  "  not  lost,  but  gone  before," — as  yet  living, 
though  absent ;  and  I  have  always  believed  that 
the  unseen  world  is  not  so  far  distant  as  many  sup- 
pose, for  here  already  we  are  invisibly  surrounded 
by "  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  for 
them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation."  Some  Chris- 
tians accustom  themselves  to  think  too  vaguely  and 
indefinitely  of  Heaven,  as  a  place  of  disembodied 
spirits,  where  they  shall  flit  about  like  wreaths  of 
mist  upon  the  mountain  tops ;  and  such  mistaken 
views  engender  a  degree  of  careless  indifference, 
which  could  not  continue  if  we  realized  the  blessed 
consciousness,  that  our  bodies  shall  rise  at  the  resur- 
rection,— that  we  shall  be  re-united  to  the  Chris- 
tian companions  of  our  earthly  existence, — that  we 
shall  enjoy  communion  wdth  the  saints  and  martyrs 
whose  memory  we  have  been  accustomed  to  rever- 
ence,— and,  above  all,  that  our  glorified  Redeemer 
himself  shall  welcome  us  to  those  mansions  of  eter- 
nal joy,  w^hich  he  died  that  we  might  enter. 

Thus  all  our  prospects  bright'ning  to  the  last, 
Our  Heav'n  commences  ere  the  world  be  past. 


LOCH  SCAVAIG. 


While  nature  seems  to  sit  alone, 
Majestic  on  a  craggy  throne. 

Confusion  now  hath  made  his  masterpiece. 

Macbeth. 

My  dear  Cousin, — We  used,  long  ago,  to  pity 
the  Romans  for  being  obliged  to  write  upon  wax, 
but  that  could  scarcely  seem  a  more  uncomfortable 
task  than  to  write  legibly  upon  this  glazed  slippery 
paper  now  in  fashion,  where  the  words  must  be 
traced  often  three  times  over,  and  after  all  are  not 
very  readable.  Nothing  appears  less  understood  in 
the  world,  than  that  the  chief  object  of  writing  is  to 
be  read,  or  so  many  people  would  not  adopt  beau- 
tiful but  illegible  hands ;  and  as  for  Members  of 
Parliament,  during  their  days  of  greatness,  when 
franks  were  still  in  being,  it  seemed  their  favourite 
achievement  to  adopt  a  signature  which  no  one 
could  decipher.  A  friend  of  ours  once  showed  me 
her  collection  of  illegible  franks,  and  I  would  as 
soon  have  attempted  to  make  out  a  Herculaneum 
manuscript.  Much  mischief  has  been  done  in  the 
world  by  its  becoming  so  universally  acknowledged 
an  axiom,  that  "  all  clever  people  write  bad  hands," 
consequently  it  is  assimied,  that  all  who  write  bad 
16 


178  SCAVAIG   AND   CORUISK. 

hands  are  clever;  and  those  who  show  no  other 
symptoms  of  being  so,  can,  at  all  events,  use  point- 
less pens  and  glazed  paper,  like  those  with  which  I 
am  about  to  teaze  and  puzzle  you. 

We  now  proposed  to  navigate  our  course  towards 
the  celebrated  bay  called  Loch  Scavaig,  and  to  pre- 
pare for  admiring  that  far-famed  ne  'plus  ultra  of 
Highland  fresh-water  lakes, "  Loch  Coruisk,"  which 
seemed  so  difficult  of  access,  that  I  almost  despaired 
of  ever  delighting  my  eyes  with  the  view  of  its  dark 
waters  and  rugged  boundaries.  Wherever  w^e 
stayed  in  Skye,  it  alw^ays  turned  out  to  be  "  twenty 
miles  distant,"  and  the  only  mode  of  access,  by  sea 
in  an  open  boat.  For  one  tolerable  day  now,  I 
would  have  exchanged  a  week  of  the  very  worst 
weather  at  any  other  time;  and  fortunately  on 
Monday  the  sun  treated  us  to  so  splendid  a  blaze  of 
light  and  heat,  as  could  scarcely  have  been  outdone 
in  Italy  or  the  tropics. 

By  a  consultation  of  w^atches,  it  was  nine  o'clock 
when  our  boat  started  on  its  rowing  match  of 
twenty  miles  distance  and  back  again.  We  had 
four  oars,  and  the  boatmen  pulled  so  well,  that  we 
accomplished  it,  including  stoppages,  in  exactly 
twelve  hours.  We  had  what  sailors  call  "  a  lady's 
breeze,"  w^hich  never  seemed  to  know  its  own 
mind  ;  and  as  the  French  have  a  proverb,  that  "  the 
wind  in  a  man's  face  makes  him  wise,"  we  must 


SCAVAIG   AND   CORUISK.  179 

have  become  perfect  philosophers  on  this  occasion, 
seeing  at  every  turn  we  expected  to  put  up  a  sail ; 
but  no !  it  actually  veered  round  five  times  during 
the  day,  becoming  always  more  adverse.  The 
weather-cocks  had  a  sad  life  of  it !  I  have  long 
observed  an  interesting  and  remarkable  fact  as  to 
tides,  that,  steer  in  what  direction  we  may,  they  are 
always  against  us ;  and  both  in  going  and  return- 
ing, our  bark  had  to  stem  its  utmost  force.  We 
had,  however,  a  dehciously  hot  day,  clear,  and 
perfectly  bright,  except  at  the  horizon,  where  a 
curious  ribbon  of  mist  ran  the  whole  way  along 
between  the  ocean  and  sky. 

When  the  Doge  of  Venice  next  marries  the  sea, 
he  should  come  to  Skye,  where  his  bride  may  be 
seen  in  her  utmost  possible  beauty,  with  "  weeds 
that  sparkle,  and  with  weaves  that  blaze."  On 
approaching  the  shore,  we  saw  into  the  clear  crystal 
depths  so  distinctly,  that  you  might  have  read  a 
newspaper  lying  underneath.  Here  the  medusas 
had  a  beautiful  appearance,  as  a  continual  succes- 
sion of  them  floated  upwards  in  the  water,  painted 
in  so  great  a  variety  of  brilliant  colours,  that  they 
looked  like  China  plates,  w^hile  some  were  so 
transparent,  they  might  have  been  mistaken  for 
glass  tumblers.  A  perfect  garden  of  sea-weed  and 
shells,  exhibiting  the  most  vi\ad  colours,  and  divided 
by  patches  of  glittering  sand,  looked  so  beautiful 


180  SCAVAIG    AND    CORUISK. 

and  inviting,  that  I  wished  myself  endowed  with 
the  lungs  of  a  fish,  to  have  dived  down,  and  walked 
about  in  those  cool  retreats,  where  the  mermaid's 
song  might  have  been  most  appropriately  sung, — 

My  gay  bower  is  biggit  o'  the  gude  ships'  keels, 

And  the  banes  o'  the  drown'd  at  sea  ; 
The  fish  are  the  deer  that  fill  my  parks, 

And  the  water  waste  my  dowrie. 

And  my  bower  is  slated  wi'  the  big  blue  waves, 

And  pav'd  wi'  the  yellow  sand, 
And  in  my  chambers  grow  bonnie  white  flowers, 

That  never  grew  on  land. 

I  observed  an  otter  busily  fishing  for  his  liveli- 
hood among  the  rocks,  and  hope  he  enjoyed  better 
sport  than  we  did,  as  the  whole  party  carried  lines 
during  twelve  hours,  without  any  better  success  than 
two  nibbles  and  a  bite.  After  hooking  one  very 
fine  lythe,  which  rose  to  the  surface,  he  escaped, 
probably  laughing  in  his  sleeve  at  our  want  of 
skill.  Here  I  was  shown  a  place  where  the  late 
proprietor  of  Strathaird,  who  thought  no  more  of 
ordering  a  new  house,  than  we  do  of  building  a  new 
bonnet,  actually  had  three  successive  mansions  for 
himself  and  family,  before  he  felt  satisfied  with  the 
situation.  Number  one  was  too  near  the  shore,  as 
he  said  it  was  impossible  to  breathe  there,  so  he 
razed  it  to  the  foundation.  Number  two  had  been 
elevated  rather  high  up  the  bank,  so  it  was  forsa- 


181 

ken ;  but  at  last  number  three  hit  the  happy  me- 
dium, and  he  condescended  to  Kve  and  die  there. 
Another  somewhat  expensive  eccentricity  of  the  old 
gentleman's  was,  that  having  once  ordered  a  supply 
of  glass  and  crockery  from  Liverpool,  which  was  so 
ill  packed,  it  became  broken,  he  always  afterwards 
made  his  guests  and  his  family  drink  their  tea,  wine, 
or  beer  in  silver  cups,  not  by  any  means  an  agreea- 
ble substitute  for  China. 

Strathaird's  cave,  which  drew  tears  of  rapturous 
admiration  from  the  late  Lord  Kinneder,  is  one  of 
the  seven  wonders  of  Skye,  being  exeedingly  exten- 
sive, and  lined  with  beautiful  spar,  so  perfectly  white 
and  crystallized,  that  I  have  seen  morsels  broken  off, 
with  which  an  absent  man  would  have  sugared  his 
tea.  The  entrance  is  very  imposing,  as  if  a  hill  had 
been  torn  asunder  to  form  it.  Both  sides  are  flank- 
ed by  prodigious  masses  of  rock  and  spar,  covered 
with  dark  draperies  of  sea-weed,  which  had  the  ef- 
fect, at  some  distance,  of  large  shaggy  animals  hang- 
ing over  the  roof.  An  inner  cave  is  still  finer,  but 
so  difficult  of  access,  that  I  wished  it  had  been  im- 
possible. A  steep,  slippery  inclined  plane  of  glassy 
wet  spar,  looking  like  sheets  of  ice,  thirty  feet  high, 
must  be  first  surmounted,  while  one  sailor,  with  a 
lighted  torch,  leads  the  way,  and  another  follows 
behind,  to  catch  those  who  fall.  Shakspeare  re- 
marks, that  "  many  would  be  cowards  if  they  dare," 
16* 


182 

but  I  always  dare.  On  this  occasion,  we  should 
certainly  have  fractured  two  or  three  limbs  at  least ; 
and  not  having  a  skilful  surgeon  with  us,  I  made  a 
pretext,  that  great  damage  having  recently  been  done 
to  the  cave  by  tourists,  who  broke  fragments  of  the 
stalactite  off,  to  take  away  for  specimens,  it  w^ould 
be  painful  to  witness  the  cruel  devastation.  A  very 
curious  monk's  head,  with  a  long  beard,  most  accu- 
rately sculptured  by  nature,  once  decorated  this  cave, 
but  the  beard  has  gradually  been  broken  off  and 
pilfered.  Some  travellers  would  steal  the  nose  from 
the  Venus  de  Medici  if  they  could  !  Most  of  those 
weighty  samples  of  the  cave  are,  after  all,  hurried 
into  a  watery  grave  before  reaching  the  shore,  and 
the  perpetrators  of  these  disgraceful  mutilations 
should  be  intimidated  by  the  apparition  which  still 
remains  in  this  cave,  a  gigantic  w^hite  statue  of  spar, 
standing  on  a  pavement  like  onyx  stones,  commonly 
pointed  out  as  the  geni  of  the  place.  The  proprie- 
tor being  naturally  anxious  to  impede  future  devas- 
tations, a  hideously  ugly  w^ooden  paling  has  been 
raised  across  the  mouth  of  this  remarkable  cave, 
backed  by  a  substantial  modern  gate,  and  clumsy 
padlock.  I  almost  fainted  at  the  sight  of  it !  This 
disenchants  the  whole  scene,  and  puts  nature  out  of 
countenance,  but  if  visiters  will  act  like  mischievous 
schoolboys,  they  deserve  to  be  no  better  treated. 
Along  many  miles  of  this  coast  we  were  enter- 


PRINCE  Charles's  cave.  183 

tained  by  seeing  a  continual  succession  of  caves, 
such  as  men  perhaps  once  inhabited  pre^/ious  to  the 
more  comfortable  invention  of  houses.  They  ap- 
peared in  most  fanciful  and  picturesque  architecture, 
some  forming  Gothic  arches,  and  others  resembling 
ruined  castles,  the  walls  varied  by  brilliant  tints  of 
yellow,  green,  or  white,  with  irregular  windows, 
buttresses,  towers,  and  gate-posts,  while  many 
seemed  so  like  the  dens  of  wild  beasts,  that  if  a 
bear  had  emerged  from  their  dark  and  solitary  re- 
cesses, it  would  have  appeared  quite  natural.  The 
ragged  outlines  of  these  rocks  frequently  form  curi- 
ous resemblances  to  faces,  profiles,  ships,  and  other 
imaginary  phantoms,  which  we  amused  ourselves  by 
tracing,  and  one  gigantic  negro's  head,  visible  for 
several  miles,  was  so  completely  obvious  to  every 
eye,  that  I  wonder  the  slave  ships  never  captured  it. 

The  life  of  Charles  Edward  might  furnish  mate- 
rials for  half  a  dozen  romances,  and  we  now  ap- 
proached the  dismal  cave,  where,  after  all  was  lost 
but  honour,  he  passed  several  dreary  nights  in  soli- 
tary concealment.  Our  fom^  Highland  boatmen 
silently  took  off  their  blue  bonnets,  placed  them  on 
the  seat,  and  continued  respectfully  uncovered  till 
we  had  passed  it,  and  I  heard  the  tune  of  "  Charlie 
is  my  Darling,"  sung  in  a  tone  so  subdued,  that  Ar- 
gyll himself  could  scarcely  have  been  offended. 

Prince  Charles,  amongst  his  other  accomplish- 


184 

merits,  mast  have  been  an  excellent  climber,  as  I 
washed  extremely  to  enter  the  obscure  Palace  of 
Royalty,  but  the  only  access  is  over  a  rude  cause- 
way of  slippery  stones  and  sea-weed,  ascending 
more  than  twenty  feet.  All  things  desirable  in  this 
life  are  difficult  of  attainment,  and  with  a  world  of 
enthusiasm  on  the  subject,  I  remained  ingloriously 
seated  in  the  boat,  while  a  gentleman  who  acted  as 
our  cicerone,  obligingly  leaped  on  shore,  took  the 
rocks  in  gallant  style,  and  gathered  a  perfect  bou- 
quet of  flowers  fjom  the  Prince's  den,  consisting 
of  sea-pinks,  rock-roses,  wild  geraniums,  and  prim- 
roses. He  said  the  marks  might  still  be  traced  of 
a  fire  having  burned  near  the  mouth  of  this  cave, 
but  the  entrance  is  so  blockaded  by  stones  and 
grass,  that  it  is  scarcely  visible,  therefore  I  did  not 
wonder  the  English  troops  were  unsuccessful  in 
their  game  at  hide  and  seek  with  the  royal  fugitive, 
along  so  wild  and  broken  a  coast.  At  length  he 
made  himself  known  to  the  laird  of  Mackinnon, 
who  faithfully  answered  this  appeal  to  his  hospi- 
tality, by  convejdng  his  imexpected  guest  to  safer 
quarters.  On  being  afterwards  accused  of  thus  fa- 
vouring the  prince,  and  tried  for  his  life  in  London, 
he  obtained  a  pardon,  and  was  about  to  leave  the 
court  of  justice,  when  the  judge  called  him  back, 
saying,  "  Tell  me,  if  Prince  Charles  were  again  in 
your  power,  what  you  would  do  ?"      The  stout  old 


185 

Highlander  replied,  with  veiy  marked  emphasis,  "  I 
would  do  to  the  prince  as  you  have  this  day  done 
to  me, — I  would  send  him  back  to  his  own  coun- 
try!" The  old  Jacobite  song  expresses  no  more 
than  was  felt  by  many  a  brave  Highlander  in  these 
days, — 

"  If  1  had  twenty  thousand  lives, 
I'd  die  as  aft  for  Charlie." 

During  our  progress,  we  were  shown  the  posi- 
tion of  another  remarkable  cave,  in  the  island  of 
Eigg,  where  two  hundred  Macdonalds,  having 
taken  refuge  from  a  superior  number  of  Macleods, 
were  traced  to  their  place  of  concealment,  w^hen 
the  enemy's  boats  were  about  to  go  away,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  scout  having  left  the  mark  of  his  foot- 
steps on  the  snow.  A  fire  was  imimediately  lighted, 
which  filled  up  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  the 
wretched  fugitives  were  literally  smoked  to  death. 
In  most  Highland  traditions,  not  excepting  Glencoe, 
the  Macdonalds  were  an  exceedingly  ill-used  clan. 
One  of  the  refugees,  being  connected  by  marriage 
with  the  Macleods,  was  offered  permission  to  crawl 
out  on  his  hands  and  knees,  and  to  bring  out  four 
others  along  with  him  in  safety,  but  having  selected 
a  friend  whom  they  would  not  spare,  he  preferred 
death  with  his  favourite  clansman,  to  life  without 
him.     The  bones  of  these  ill-fated  Macdonalds,  all 


186  SCAVA.IG    AND    CORUISK. 

whitened  by  time,  are  still  to  he  seen  lying  near  the 
entrance,  where  they  had  crowded  for  air,  and  the 
straw  is  yet  visible  on  which  their  beds  had  been 
made. 

The  island  of  Eigg  exhibits  the  most  whimsical 
freak  of  nature  I  ever  saw,  being  on  the  southern 
side  perfectly  flat,  except  where  one  prodigious 
rock,  called  the  Scuir  of  Eigg,  rises  twelve  hundred 
feet  perpendicularly  out  of  the  sea.  It  stands  up 
very  much  as  the  egg  of  Columbus  did,  when  he 
balanced  it  on  the  small  end ;  and  we  may  say  like 
the  Highlander,  when  asked  what  he  thought  of  a 
fine  lunar  rainbow,  "  It's  neat ! — very  neat,  as  all 
the  works  of  nature  is !" 

Now  for  Loch  Scavaig ! — or  Loch  Savage,  as  it 
might  more  appropriately  be  named.  What  a 
scene !  It  is  actually  a  burlesque  on  Glencoe !  The 
besetting  sin  of  travellers  is  said  to  be  exaggera- 
tion, so  I  must  avoid  it ;  but  never — no,  never  did 
I  see  anything  to  compare  with  this !  You  would 
say,  "  It  is  horribly  beautiful !"  The  Spanish  pro- 
verb observes,  that  "  He  who  has  not  seen  Seville 
has  seen  nothing ;"  and  I  would  transfer  the  re- 
mark to  Loch  Scavaig.  We  were  told  that  Thomson 
the  artist  threw  away  his  pencil  and  brushes  in  de- 
spair, when  he  first  beheld  it ;  and  there  goes  my 
pen ! 


Miss  Fanny  Kemble  concludes  her  journal  in  an 


SCAVAIG   AND   CORUISK.  187 

attitude  of  speechless  astonishment  at  Niagara. 
Shall  I  do  the  same  here  1  No  !  out  of  mere  com- 
passion to  your  curiosity,  I  mean  to  try  whether 
there  be  language  sombre,  dark,  and  wild  enough  to 
paint  a  scene  as  dismal  as  death  itself.  If  ever  a 
tree  grew  here,  it  must  have  been  the  upas  tree; 
and  Bunyan  probably  had  this  very  scene  in  his  eye, 
when  he  described  the  Giant  Despair's  residence. 
After  landing  in  the  bay  of  Scavaig,  we  crossed 
about  four  hundred  yards  of  rock,  overgrown 
with  wild  myrtle  and  heather,  when  we  reached 
the  dark,  deep,  fresh-water  lake  of  Coruisk, 
imprisoned  within  a  circle  of  gigantic  barren 
mountains,  looking  like  ragged  purple  clouds, 
the  summit  of  which  seemed  nearer  the  sky  than 
the  earth.  The  least  of  these  hills  might  be 
cousin-german  to  Mount  Blanc,  only  we  missed 
the  livery  of  perpetual  snow  on  their  splintered 
summits.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  I  saw  midday  and 
midnight  at  once !  a  brilliant  blazing  sun  boiling 
the  water,  and  scorching  the  rocks  on  one  side, 
while  at  an  opposite  end,  the  lake  seemed  turned  to 
ink,  and  the  hills  looked  as  if  a  deluge  of  pitch  and 
tar  blackened  their  precipitous  sides.  This  place 
seems  like  the  worn-out  remains  of  some  old  world, 
torn,  shattered,  and  thrown  aside  in  rugged  heaps, 
as  being  useless  rubbish,  never  again  meant  for 
mortal  use.     You   would  wonder  how  the  clouds 


188  SCAVAIG   AND   CORUISK. 

contrive  to  get  over  the  tall,  steep  pinnacles,  appa- 
rently piercing  the  sky  in  all  directions ;  and  some 
of  those  mighty  steeples,  one  of  which,  three  thou- 
sand feet  high,  is  named  "  the  black  peak,"  can 
never  have  been  trod  by  a  human  footstep. 

While  we  stood,  an  eagle  flitted  silently  about, 
from  rock  to  rock,  like  a  great  frigate  sailing  through 
the  air ;  v^^ild  goats  were  visible  straying  over  their 
native  fastnesses ;  red  deer  harbour  in  herds  along 
the  valley ;  and  troops  of  sea-gulls  fluttered  upon  a 
little  fairy  islet  visible  above  the  surface  of  the  lake. 
No  sign  of  human  life  or  human  habitation  was 
there.  Let  me  entreat  that  another  year  shall  not 
elapse  before  your  footsteps  follow  ours,  and  I  am 
sure  you  will  approve  of  my  recommendation  if  you 
follow  it ;  but,  as  Home  Tooke  says,  "  there  are 
two  sorts  of  fools  about  advice,  those  who  give  it, 
and  those  w^ho  will  not  take  it." 

It  seemed  presumptuous  to  disturb  the  gloomy 
perpetual  silence  which  reigns  around  Coruisk,  but 
when  we  awakened  the  echoes,  you  would  have 
thought  a  whole  army  had  started  into  life,  and 
were  shouting  in  chorus,  till  the  sound  died  ofl",  ap- 
parently some  miles  distant.  One  of  the  sharpest 
peaks,  commonly  called  "  the  shouting  mountain," 
most  amply  merited  the  name  this  day,  for  we  made 
it  speak  in  very  audible  accents,  and  when  a  steam- 
boat comes  here,  the  captain  causes  a  bugle  to  be 


SCAVAIG    AND    CORUISK.  189 

sounded,  which  must  have  an  effect  Hke  enchant- 
ment. We  tried  a  laughing  chorus  in  the  style  of 
Der  Freischutz,  which  w^ent  off  wdth  great  eclat, 
and  a  thunder-storm  w^ould  appear  to  tremendous 
advantage  among  those  hills  and  rocks. 

Full  of  awe  and  astonishment  at  beholding  such 
an  uproar  of  nature,  such  a  scene  of  blank  desola- 
tion, we  sat  down  to  recover  the  shock,  and  also  to 
partake  of  some  excellent  sandwiches  and  sherry. 
The  debris  of  several  former  pic-nics  was  strewed 
around,  in  the  form  of  well-picked  bones  and  broken 
glasses ;  but  one  gentleman  told  me,  that  not  long 
since  he  found  a  full  bottle  of  porter,  corked  and 
ready  for  use, — a  most  substantial  present  from  the 
fairies,  who  frequent  these  glens. 

You  might  imagine  that  no  person's  spirits  could 
stand  a  residence  here  of  above  an  hour,  and  that  a 
week  would  be  quite  out  of  the  question ;  but  on  a 
neighbouring  bay,  dismally  wild  and  sombre,  stands 
a  little  gay  slated  mansion,  with  quite  an  air  of 
modern  fashion,  belonging  to  a  Lieutenant  M'Mil- 
lan.  He  has  pitched  his  tent  in  one  of  the  last 
retreats  on  the  surface  of  the  earth  where  I  should 
have  expected  to  discover  a  member  of  the  Junior 
United  Service  Club,  but  he  may  say,  perhaps, 
like  the  Irishman  in  London,  "  Je  in' ennuis  tres  bien 
id .'"  Lieutenant  M'Millan  is  probably  as  far  aloof 
from  neighbours  as  the  gentleman  you  told  me  of  in 
17 


190  SKYE. 

Australia,  who  accidentally  snuffed  out  his  candle 
one  evening,  and  had  to  ride  three  miles  to  get  it 
lighted ;  and  as  ill  oif  for  news  as  the  clergyman  at 
St.  Kilda,  who  continued  praying  for  King  WilHam 
more  than  a  year  after  His  Majesty's  decease,  till 
accidentally  informed  that  Queen  Victoria  had  been 
crowned  some  months  before. 

An  English  traveller,  several  years  ago,  visited 
the  island  of  Muck,  where,  finding   a  clergyman  of 
talents  and  education,  he  commiserated  his  solitary 
state  so  much,  that  ever  since  he  has  persevered  in 
sending  him  constantly  a  London  daily  newspaper. 
•He   should   send  it  alternate    days    to   Lieutenant 
M'Millan  !     That  gentleman  very  nearly  fell  a  sa- 
crifice lately    to    his   taste   for  mountain   scenery. 
When  showing  the  place  to  a  guest,  perhaps  his 
only  visiter  that  season,  a  crash  was  heard  overhead, 
and  a  solid  square  fragment  of  rock,  a  hundred  tons 
in  w^eight  at  least,  started  downwards.     The  two 
gentlemen  had  scarcely  time  to  give  themselves  over 
for  lost,  as  it  rolled  directly  towards  them,  when, 
after  bounding  from  one  projection  to    another,  it 
suddenly  shivered  into  pieces,  which  were  show^ered 
clear  over  their  heads.     This  predicament  reminded 
me  of  the  Lishman  describing  similar  scenery,  when 
he  ended  by  saying,  "here  the  delighted  spectator 
every  instant  expects  the  rocks  to  fall  on  his  head 
and  crush  him  to  death." 


SKYE.  191 

Some  weather-stained  precipices  along  the  shore 
are  covered  with  a  hchen  resembhng  rusty  iron. 
Many  of  the  stones  are  also  black,  but  encrusted 
over  with  patches  of  white  coral ;  and  it  is  curious, 
when  touching  those  under  the  sun's  rays,  that  a 
sensible  difference  of  heat  may  be  observed,  the 
darker  half  being  many  degrees  hotter. 

On  the  summit  of  a  sharp-pointed  hill,  where 
you  could  scarcely  imagine  room  for  one  person  to 
stand,  the  estates  of  three  proprietors  divide,  and  the 
chieftains  of  Macdonald,  Mackinnon,  and  Macleod, 
might  all  shake  hands  on  that  elevated  peak,  each 
standing  on  his  own  property.  Much  bloodshed 
might  have  been  saved  long  ago,  if  the  limits  of 
property  had  been  as  clearly  defined  and  acknow- 
ledged. The  traditionary  recollection  of  boundaries 
is  yet  preserved  in  many  parts  of  the  Western 
Highlands,  by  observing  the  old  custom  of  "  w^hip- 
ping  the  marches."  Each  parish  schoolmaster  was 
bound,  in  former  times,  to  take  his  pupils  in  proces- 
sion once  a-year  round  the  most  remarkable  land- 
marks between  the  neighbouring  estates,  and  there 
every  boy  received  so  severe  a  flogging,  that  he 
never  afterwards  forgot  it.  We  read,  in  the  life  of 
Benvenuto  Cellini,  that  his  father,  on  a  somewhat 
similar  plan,  once  showed  him,  when  he  was  a  child, 
a  salamander  in  the  fire,  and  instantly  gave  him  a 
violent  box  on  the  ear,  saying,  that  blow  would  fix 
it  in  his  memory  for  ever. 


192  SKYE. 

This  was  a  day  indeed  ! — we  did  not  return  to 
the  manse  of  Strath  till  nine  o'clock  at  night,  hav- 
ing kept  Mr.  Mackinnon  waiting  dinner  four  hours, 
a  trespass  on  his  hospitality  so  beyond  the  reach  of 
apology,  that  I  did  not  attempt  one.  Sitting  down 
to  dinner  in  the  Highlands  at  ten  o'clock,  is  a  great 
progress  of  civilization,  and  we  do  flatter  ourselves 
that  no  London  exclusives  can  possibly  hope  to  out- 
do us,  in  putting  their  friends  to  inconvenience  by 
waiting.  As  an  old  lady  said  once,  with  a  sigh  of 
resignation,  when  her  family  insisted  on  dining  late, 
"  It  is,  at  any  rate,  a  very  cheap  piece  of  elegance !" 

A  Greenock  clergyman,  who  preached  a  short 
time  since  in  this  neighbourhood,  unintentionally 
gave  great  offence  by  praying  for  "  Skye,  and  other 
barbarous  islands ;"  but,  for  my  own  part,  when- 
ever I  think  of  cordiality  or  kindness,  my  thoughts 
wall  turn,  though  not  "  untravelled,"  to  this  very 
singular  looking  country,  where  a  statute  of  Hospi- 
tality should  be  placed  on  the  shore,  holding  out 
her  hand  to  welcome  strangers  as  they  arrive.  Here 
we  seemed  to  have  suddenly  become  the  near  rela- 
tives and  intimate  friends  of  every  individual  we  saw, 
while  I  began  almost  to  fancy  we  must  have 
recently  succeeded  to  the  w^hole  island,  and  were 
come  to  take  possession. 

Nothing  can  be  more  depressing  than  to  witness 
the  ruinous  effects  produced  in  Skye  by  the  disuse  of 
kelp.     Eveiy  change  in  our  manufactures  throws 


SKYE.  193 

some  people  of  com^se  out  of  employment,  and  here, 
thousands  who  could  once  earn  a  competence,  are  now 
deprived  of  their  only  resource,  while  many  whom 
we  saw,  having  already  exhausted  all  their  provi- 
sions, were  wandering  along  the  shore,  picking  up 
shell-fish  as  their  sole  means  of  existence.  To  the 
no  small  credit  of  those  poor  destitute  people,  not  a 
sheep  is  ever  stolen,  nor  an  article  of  any  kind  miss- 
ing, though  two  families,  who  w^ere  starving  of  cold 
and  hunger,  next  door  to  each  other,  were  reduced 
to  live  in  one  apartment,  and  to  use  the  furniture  of 
the  rest  for  fuel. 

Troops  of  men  were  flocking  along  the  highway 
"with  a  bag  of  meal,  literally  a  single  "  feed  of 
oats,"  slung  over  their  shoulders,  going  to  "  the 
Continent,"  as  they  call  Scotland,  in  search  of 
work.  Not  one  of  these  wanderers  begged,  and 
we  were  told,  that  the  first  account  which  generally 
reaches  home  of  their  ha^dng  got  employment,  is 
transmitted  in  company  with  a  boll  of  meal,  for  the 
use  of  friends  and  parents  left  behind.  One  might 
have  feared,  that  every  warm  and  generous  feehng 
of  the  heart  would  be  chilled  and  frozen  into  sel- 
fishness by  the  intense  sufifering  we  w^itnessed,  but 
it  is  far  otherwise,  and  the  magnanimous  self-denial 
of  Highlanders  for  the  sake  of  their  relations,  is  a 
beautiful  trait  of  national  character.  When  my 
late  father,  in  1794,  raised  and  commanded  a  regi- 
17* 


194  SKYE. 

ment  of  600  Caithness  Highlanders  to  assist  in  pro- 
tecting the  country  from  threatened  invasion,  he 
discovered  that  the  recruits  were  intent  on  saving 
money  for  their  farnihes,  to  so  romantic  an  excess, 
that  many  did  not  eat  provisions  enough  to  keep 
them  in  health,  therefore  he  ordered  the  officers  to 
superintend  their  men  during  dinner,  to  ascertain 
that  the  rations  were  actually  consumed.  None  of 
these  soldiers  w^ould  suffer  from  a  complaint  w^hich 
attacked  an  old  bon  vivant  lately,  w^ho  sent  for  his 
physician  to  say  that  he  was  troubled  with  "  an  un- 
pleasant sensation  of  emptiness  before  dinner,  and  a 
most  intolerable  fulness  after  eating !" 

Some  of  the  poor  in  Skye  have  scarcely  a  no- 
tion of  any  food  but  oatmeal,  and  w^hen  a  gentle- 
man asked  a  boy  one  day  if  he  did  not  tire  of 
porridge,  the  youth  looked  up  quite  aghast  with 
astonishment,  saying,  "  Would  ye  hae  me  no'  like 
my  meat !"  English  travellers  have  a  strange  idea 
of  our  Caledonian  dishes,  most  of  w^hich  are  bor- 
rowed from  the  French ;  but  I  was  amused  lately  at 
one  of  our  southern  friends,  who  thought  the  only 
dressing  we  gave  a  sheep's  head  was  to  singe  the 
hair  off;  but  after  tasting  the  broth  which  it  made, 
he  declared  his  intention  ever  afterwards  to  throw 
some  burned  wool  into  the  soup,  to  give  it  that  pe- 
culiar zest  which  he  greatly  admired.  It  used  to  be 
alleged  of  a  certain  English  Baronet,  that  he  saved 


SKYE.  195 

the  expense  of  having  his  hair  cut,  by  singing  it 
off !  Where  he  was  visiting  once,  the  whole  family 
became  alarmed  during  the  night  by  so  powerful  a 
smell  of  fire,  that  the  servants  hurried  all  over  the 
house  in  search  of  the  cause,  till  having  traced  it 
to  his  room,  they  burst  in  and  found  him,  with  a 
candle  in  his  hand,  only  half  through  the  operation, 
lighting  and  extinguishing  his  hair  in  rapid  suc- 
cession. 

The  immense  quantity  of  waste  land  we  saw  in 
Skye,  and  the  number  of  unemployed  destitute  peo- 
ple, made  me  wish  that  the  two  could  be  made  to 
benefit  each  other,  the  sons  of  the  soil  being  hired 
to  cultivate  it,  and  gaining  a  livelihood  for  doing  so. 
The  miserable  pittance  they  exist  on  now,  cannot 
in  many  instances  be  called  a  livelihood  at  all,  and 
they  are  allowed  no  more  opportunity  to  improve  it, 
than  the  two  money -making  boys  had  in  jail,  who 
lately  made  three  shillings  a-day  by  selling  their  old 
clothes  to  each  other.  We  were  delighted  to  hear 
that  the  very  obvious  plan  of  improving  the  unen- 
closed commons,  is  about  to  be  tried  on  a  great 
scale  by  Colonel  Gordon  of  Cluny,  who  lately  pur- 
chased a  large  estate  on  "  the  Long  Island,"  which 
is  chiefly  distinguished  for  being  the  ugliest  place  in 
Scotland.  The  new  proprietor  has  already  imported 
a  ship-load  of  ploughs,  harrows,  axes,  and  spades, 
and  we  wished  every  success  to  his  experiment  of 


196  SKYE. 

transforming  barren  heaths  into  fertile  fields,  and 
poor'un employed  desponding  idlers,  into  active,  happy 
and  industrious  tenantry.  Speed  the  plough !  It  will 
tui'n  out  true  in  this  neighbourhood,  more  probably 
than  anywhere  else,  that  "  he  who  makes  two  grains 
of  corn  grow,  where  only  one  grew^  before,  is  a  ben- 
efactor to  his  species." 

The  Skye  cottages  cannot  be  said  to  enliven  and 
embellish  the  scenery,  as  they  are  the  most  mournful 
looking  dwellings  I  ever  beheld,  built  entirely,  roof 
and  walls,  of  green  turf,  more  like  the  grassy  mound 
of  an  ancient  grave,  than  a  place  where  the  business 
and  pleasures  of  life  are  to  be  carried  on.  "  The 
day  seem'd  like  the  night,  asleep,"  yet  so  little  does 
happiness  really  depend  on  external  circumstances, 
that,  surrounded  as  they  are  by  desolation,  the  peo- 
ple do  occasionally  contrive  to  enjoy  something  like 
cheerfulness,  and  at  one  place  I  saw  three  old  wo- 
men, who  seemed  to  have  lighted  their  "  council 
fire,"  in  a  field  near  the  road,  looking  the  very  pic- 
tures of  a  snug  gossip,  and  as  contented  with  their 
tea-kettle  over  a  bonfire  of  sticks,  as  if  it  had  been 
a  silver  urn,  with  a  lamp  underneath. 

In  every  family  here  there  are  sons,  brothers,  or 
cousins,  hurrying  to  Australia  in  search  of  the  golden 
fleece.  That  country  is  the  great  lumber-room  now 
for  stowdng  away  supernumerary  people,  and  I  was 
much  interested,  before  we  left  the  manse  of  Strath, 


SKYEa  197 

to  be  present  at  the  marriage  of  a  young  couple 
who  intended  making  a  wedding  jaunt  to  the  anti- 
podes. Mr.  Mackinnon,  with  his  usual  kindness, 
invited  the  w^hole  friends  and  attendants  into  a  par- 
lour, where,  for  the  first  time,  I  heard  the  ceremony 
in  Gaelic.  It  must  have  been,  to  judge  from  the 
agitation  of  all  present,  deeply  impressive;  and  in 
less  than  ten  minutes,  the  pretty  interesting  bride 
was  metamorphosed  from  a  Highland  housemaid 
into  an  Australian  shepherdess.  Her  friends  were 
all  dressed  in  the  tartans  of  their  various  clans,  look- 
ing most  respectable,  and  evidently  much  awed  by 
the  compliment  of  being  admitted  into  the  manse, 
treading  on  the  carpet  as  if  it  had  been  red-hot,  and 
occupying  the  very  smallest  possible  corner  of  their 
chairs.  After  a  final  benediction  had  been  pro- 
nounced, the  "  best  man"  poured  out  a  glass  of 
w^hiskey,  which  we  w^ere  expected  to  taste,  wishing 
the  bride  happiness  and  prosperity  in  the  far  distant 
land  where  she  was  going  in  search  of  both. 

I  think  you  are  now^  beginning  to  yawn,  and  as 
the  whole  ambition  of  my  pen  is,  to  "  add  a  feather 
to  the  lightsome  hours  of  your  leisure,"  it  is  time 
now  to  wish  you  good  night,  or  to  say,  Uke  the 
Scotch  abigail  at  Paris,  "  Bon  siiore.^^ 


LOCHALSH. 


The  rivers  flow, 

The  woody  valley  warm  and  low, 
The  windy  summit,  wild  and  high, 
Roughly  rushing  on  the  sky; 
The  pleasant  seat,  the  ruin'd  tow'r. 
The  naked  rock,  the  shady  bow'r. 

My  dear  Cousin, — ^You  agree  with  me  in  liking 
a  little  scrap  of  quotation,  even  from  a  favoui'ite  and 
well-known  poem,  for  the  effect  is  the  same  as  if  a 
flower  were  plucked  in  a  garden,  and  presented  by 
a  friend  to  your  especial  notice  and  admiration,  so  I 
generally  begin  by  making  myself  welcome  with  a 
few  lines  from  somebody,  even  though  the  author's 
name  has  escaped  me. 

When  Maturin  the  author  was  immersed  in  com- 
position, he  always  stuck  a  wafer  on  his  forehead, 
to  indicate  that  he  must  on  no  pretext  be  disturbed, 
and  he  w^as  quite  right,  for  it  ruins  a  whole  train  of 
thought  to  be  asked  what  o'clock  it  is.  Professor 
Airey  has  his  study  at  Portsmouth  dug  out  of  the 
solid  earth,  to  prevent  any  external  noise  in  the  docks 
from  annoying  him,  and  a  certain  friend  of  yours, 
when  she  has  a  letter  to  write,  is  denied  to  visiters 
during  the  entire  day,  while  her  whole  family  must 


LOCHALSH.  199 

go  through  the  house  on  tiptoe.  You  shall  judge 
from  this  letter,  whether  the  best  situation  for  pro- 
moting fluency  of  style  be  not  a  small  dark  room  in 
the  Highlands,  such  as  that  we  are  now  imprisoned 
in ;  the  windows  encrusted  with  dust,  and  an  asth- 
matic bagpipe  playing  within  a  few  yards.  A  poet 
once  published  verses  "  on  the  rumbling  of  his  car- 
riage wheels,"  and  the  excellent  Robert  Boyle  record- 
ed some  profound  reflections  on  the  subject  of  "  sitting 
at  ease  in  a  rapidly  driven  chariot,"  but  my  remarks 
must  be,  on  having  no  conveyance  at  all.  We  left 
Skye  in  a  light  skiff,  which  skimmed  across  the  in- 
tervening ferry  of  a  mile  in  breadth,  to  Lochalsh  in 
Ross-shire,  while  we  seemed  almost  sitting  on  the 
water,  like  the  sea-birds  around.  Ferries  are  no 
grievance  whatever  in  the  Highlands,  with  such 
first-rate  weather  as  we  enjoyed  this  morning,  when 
the  grandest  effects  of  light  and  shade,  mists  and 
sunshine,  were  exhibited,  which  an  artist  might 
fancy,  but  scarcely  dare  copy  on  canvass.  We  are 
grown  such  connoiseurs  in  mountain  scenery,  thatjl 
become  every  day  more  fastidious,  but  there  is  one 
charming  peculiarity  on  the  hills  of  Lochalsh,  which 
I  shall  adopt  in  my  own  plantations,  whenever  I 
have  any.  The  woods  here  are  interspersed  with  a 
gorgeous  profusion  of  laburnums,  lilacs,  rododen- 
drons,  and  the  richest  hawthorns,  in  a  flush  of  blos- 
soms, all  planted  by  the  late  proprietor,  Sir  Hugh 


200  LOCHALStt. 

Innes.  Not  a  flowering  shrub  seems  forgotten,  and 
the  whole  has  the  look  of  a  brilliant  mosaic,  on  a 
dark  back-ground.  Here  also  we  had  nature's 
orchestra  in  perfection,  a  chorus  of  birds,  accom- 
panied by  a  soft  breeze  of  wind,  and  the  liquid  soimd 
of  the  ocean  breaking  along  its  pebbly  shore.  This 
is  siu-ely  one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  I  ever  saw ! 
To  the  left  is  Lochduich,  in  front  the  Isle  of  Skye, 
and  to  the  right  the  Atlantic.  Behind  is  an  exten- 
sive w^ell-sheltered  basin  of  fertile  land,  beautifully 
laid  out  and  screened  from  every  blast,  by  a  sw^eep 
of  picturesque  hills.  The  old  mansion  of  Balmacarra 
is  so  close  to  the  sea,  it  appears  almost  within  w^ater- 
mark,  and,  taking  it  as  a  house,  makes  no  preten- 
sions to  beauty,  being  a  long  low  white-w^ashed 
building,  wanting  only  a  tall  chimney,  to  look  like 
a  cotton  mill,  and  scarcely  more  picturesque  than  a 
row"  of  bathing  machines  on  the  sand,  but  then,  as 
Cinderella's  sister  observed  about  her  shabby  dress, 
"  to  make  up  for  that,"  all  w^e  see  around  is  magni- 
ficent, and  we  may  therefore  say, 

"  If  to  the  house  some  trifling  errors  fall, 
Look  on  the  hills,  and  you'll  forget  them  all." 

It  was  in  this  country  that  a  proprietor,  being 
once  asked  what  he  meant  to  do  wdth  all  the  ten- 
antry he  W' as  ejecting  from  their  farms  and  cottages, 
angrily  rephed,     "Lochduich  is  deep   enough  for 


LOCHALSH.  201 

them  all !" — but  far  different  has  been  the  feeling  of 
an  English  proprietor,  who  has  acquired  by  mar- 
riage the  wide  domains  of  Lochalsh,  and  made  him- 
self ever  since  one  of  the  best  Scotchmen  in  the 
Highlands. 

While  every  tongue  is  eloquent  in  his  neighbour- 
hood, to  praise  that  Christian  liberality  which  has 
no  limits,  but  the  limits  of  his  income,  we  heard  by 
the  way-side,  unceasing  instances  of  the  energy  and 
perseverance  wdth  which,  for  years  past,  he  has  en- 
deavoured to  imitate  our  Divine  Master  in  benefiting, 
good  or  bad,  rich  or  poor,  sick  or  well,  every  indi- 
vidual within  the  reach  of  his  influence.  No  man's 
sorrows  would  last  longer  than  the  time  occupied  in 
telling  them,  if  any  effort  on  his  part  could  "  teach 
want  to  thrive,  and  grief  to  smile  again," — the  cares 
of  others  become  his  own  by  adoption ;  and  our 
boatmen  pointed  out  with  eager  interest  a  hospital 
on  a  neighbouring  eminence,  where  the  homeless 
poor  are  sheltered,  that  those  who  are  ignorant  may 
be  instructed,  the  sick  supplied  with  medicine,  the 
unemployed  with  work,  and  the  destitute  receive  as 
liberal  a  supply  of  winter  clothing  annually,  as  if 
they  were  all  going  to  Greenland. 

Solomon  says,  "  there  is  that  scattereth,  yet  in- 
creaseth.     There  is  that  maketh  himself  poor,  yet 
hath  great  riches."     When  considering  the  enlight- 
ened Christian  motives  dictating  those  good  works, 
18 


202  LOCHALSH. 

which  have  so  long  shunned  observation,  it  occurred 
to  me  with  surprise,  as  it  had  often  done  aheady, 
how  much  more  obvious,  generally,  are  the  effects 
of  superstition  on  the  purses  and  pockets  of  its  vo- 
taries, than  of  a  purer  and  holier  faith,  which  ought 
to  be  so  much  more  influential.  The  presumptuous 
hope  of  purchasing  heaven  by  their  own  meritorious 
actions,  has  caused  the  Roman  Catholic  churches 
and  charitable  institutions  to  be  more  liberally  en- 
dowed than  ours,  and  individuals  of  that  persuasion, 
whatever  be  their  motives,  devote  themselves  more 
avowedly  and  exclusively  to  the  exercise  of  good 
works  than  the  generality  of  Protestants,  who,  too 
frequently,  give  to  charity  only  the  sweepings  of 
their  extravagance.  Even  Hindoos  and  Mahome- 
tans exhibit  a  self-sacrificing  spirit,  which,  while 
w^e  pity  the  delusion  that  excites  it,  should  yet  be  a 
solemn  admonition  to  Christians,  that  they  should 
not  carelessly  enjoy  their  higher  privileges,  but  re- 
member with  solemn  awe,  that  "  they  who  know 
their  Master's  will  and  do  it  not,  shall  be  beaten 
with  many  stripes."  It  is  true  that  Protestants  pre- 
fer inward  principle  and  feelings,  to  external  demon- 
strations, but  still  their  light  should  shine  distinctly, 
that  all  men,  seeing  the  good  deeds  of  Divinely 
taught  Christians,  may  learn  to  glorify  their  Father 
which  is  in  heaven.  It  is  said  that  Wesley,  during 
his  life,  gave  j£30,000  in  charity,  while  his  own 


LOCHALSH.  203 

personal  expenses  were  only  £28  a-year,  and  it 
would  be  well  if  we  could  all  act  upon  that  fre- 
quently quoted  and  seldom  observed  maxim  of  the 
excellent  Howard,  "  a  Christian  should  make  his 
luxuries  yield  to  another  man's  comforts,  his  com- 
forts to  another  man's  necessities,  and  even  his  ne- 
cessities to  another  man's  extremity."  We  may 
well  exclaim,  like  Hannah  More,  "  how  cheap  is 
charity,  how  dear  is  luxury,"  when,  in  the  present 
day,  ladies  will  give  ten  guineas  for  a  pocket  hand- 
kerchief, who  would  scarcely  spare  ten  shillings  for 
all  the  woes  of  all  mankind. 

Before  my  face  my  handkerchief  I  spread, 
To  hide  the  flood  of  tears  I  did— not  shed. 

I  have  often  thought,  even  with  respect  to  those 
who  wish  to  be  conscientious  in  their  expenditure 
on  charity,  that  the  rich  scarcely  consider  how 
great  is  the  disproportion  between  a  man  of  j£  10,000 
a-year  subscribing  his  guinea,  and  another  with  only 
j£100  a-year  giving  his  shilling.  Both  are  thought 
to  have  equally  done  their  duty,  but  unless  men  cal- 
culate a  regular  proportion  of  their  income,  as  being 
due  to  charity,  it  will  always  continue  to  be  an 
affair  of  impulse  and  accident,  rather  than  of  princi- 
ple, and  that  alone  will  bring  wealthy  Christians  up 
to  the  standard  of  Scriptural  liberalit}*.  The  most 
affluent  persons  often  sit  gravely  and  solemnly  in 


204  LOCHALSH. 

their  pews  at  church,  hearing  all  the  most  powerful 
motives  of  the  gospel  urged  on  their  consciences,  to 

give  liberally  as  unto  God,  and  the  result  is a 

shilling  !  For  charity  sermons,  one  shilling  seems 
generally  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  human  exertion,  and 
children  half-price ! 

At  the  Church  of  St.  Mary's,  Woolnoth,  some 
years  ago,  the  congregation  w^ere  startled  and  inte- 
rested to  hear,  that  their  prayers  were  requested  by 
"  a  young  man  who  had  succeeded  to  a  very  consid- 
erable fortune,  and  earnestly  desired  to  be  preserved 
from  the  snares  to  which  it  would  expose  him  !" 
How  true  it  is,  too  true  perhaps,  to  need  remark, 
that  the  temporal  gifts  of  Providence  are  frequently 
used  as  a  screen  to  hide  him  from  our  thoughts, — 
health  encourages  a  belief  that  we  shall  not  soon 
be  summoned  into  his  presence,  cheerfulness  degen- 
erates into  levity,  talents  lead  to  worldly  ambition, 
and  wealth  becomes  a  means  of  dissipated  extrava- 
gance ;  but  we  have  now  entered  a  neighbourhood, 
where  those  to  whom  Providence  has  denied  all 
these  gifts  are  taught  to  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  a 
better  and  more  enduring  inheritance.  Here  the 
more  friendless,  destitute,  and  suffering  people  are, 
and  the  more  to  be  avoided  or  despised  by  ordinary 
men,  so  much  the  more  benevolently  are  they  suc- 
coured and  lodged  at  Lochalsh,  while  missionaries 
are  constantly  superintending  the  district,  crossing 


KYLE    HACKEN.  205 

even  to  Skye,  to  ascertain  the  wants  of  tjKe  poor, 
especially  in  respect  to  religious  instruction,  and  the 
distribution  of  Bibles  is  on  so  large  a  scale,  that 
some  time  ago,  when  a  steamboat  was  leaving  Glas- 
gow, one  article  in  the  list  of  cargo  was,  "Three 
tons  of  Bibles  for  Balmacarra  House."  That  is  a 
gift  which  will  bring  a  blessing  alike  on  him  who 
gives,  and  on  those  who  receive,  while  the  eagerness 
with  which  they  are  in  demand,  would  astonish  the 
many  who  consider  the  Bible  as  an  unwelcome 
creditor  on  their  time,  instead  of  rejoicing  in  it  as 
the  charter  of  their  everlasting  salvation. 

The  landlady  at  Kyle  Hacken  told  us,  that  last 
year  an  impostor,  feigning  sickness,  went  to  Balma- 
carra House,  where  he  obtained  lodging  and  attend- 
ance for  three  weeks,  during  which  he  received 
incessant  kindness,  and  talked  in  the  most  exem- 
plary manner.  At  length  he  thought  fit  to  recover, 
and  having  obtained  so  handsome  a  donation,  that 
it  might  have  maintained  him  luxuriously  for  a  year, 
he  came  to  her  inn,  calling  for  so  many  successive 
draughts  of  whiskey,  that  she  refused  at  length  to 
supply  more.  The  simple  hostess  thought  him  su- 
pernaturally  wicked,  because  he  assumed  a  different 
accent  every  time  she  entered  his  parlour,  and  her 
description  sounded  to  me  very  like  some  second- 
rate  actor  from  one  of  the  minor  theatres.  "  Some- 
times he  spoke  quite  Irish,  ma'am  !  then  he  seemed 
like  a  Frenchman  j  and  he  could  have  as  good 
18* 


206  LOCHALSH. 

a  Scotch  tongue  in  his  head  as  any  one,  when  he 
liked."  It  was  evident,  at  any  rate,  that  he  had 
represented  "  The  Tartuffe"  to  some  purpose,  where 
he  came  from  previously ! 

It  is  proved  by  the  observation  and  experience 
of  all  charitably  disposed  persons,  that  nothing  re- 
ceived entirely  gratis  is  adequately  appreciated  by 
the  poor,  whether  it  be  education,  food,  medicines, 
clothing,  or  Bibles,  unless  they  pay  some  nominal 
proportion  of  the  value  ;  and  it  was  remarked  of  a 
philanthropic  clergyman  lately,  rather  indiscriminate 
in  his  charities,  that  he  went  about  "  with  a  Bible 
in  one  hand,  and  eighteen  pence  in  the  other, 
bribing  the  whole  parish  into  pauperism."  Cer- 
tainly those  only  who  are  lost  to  all  sense  of  self- 
respect  would  accept  of  alms,  unless  urged  to  it  by 
hopeless  necessity.  Even  in  England,  where  the 
same  feehng  of  laudable  independence  does  not 
exist,  we  almost  invariably  find  the  free  seats  in  a 
church  comparatively  empty,  because  none  like  to 
appear  publicly  as  a  pauper  ;  but  if  the  poor  can  be 
induced  to  begin  a  Provident  fund  for  their  own 
relief,  lodging  the  very  smallest  sums  at  first,  and 
gradually  acquiring  habits  of  frugality  and  diligence, 
they  would  themselves  be  astonished  at  the  gradual 
result !  In  Leeds,  last  year,  the  poor  were  enabled 
to  place  in  the  care  of  their  parish  clergyman  no 
less  a  sum  than  ^65000. 

We  crossed  in  a  low-sided  skiff,  under  a  sky 


LOCHALSH.  207 

SO  lowering  and  dark,  that  no  storm  which  ever 
raged  could  have  exceeded  w^hat  I  expected ;  yet  it 
all  passed  away,  like  many  other  false  alarms, 
showing  what  a  good  plan  it  is  never  to  torment 
om-selves  with  the  anticipation  of  evil,  as  we  have 
always  quite  enough  for  present  use  without  bor- 
rowing from  the  future.  The  most  beautiful  object 
we  saw  during  our  voyage  from  Skye  to  Ross-shire, 
was  an  elegant  yacht  which  belongs  to  the  propri- 
etor of  Lochalsh,  with  its  white  sails  glittering  in 
the  sun,  and  spread  out  to  catch  the  light  breeze 
which  carried  us  along  over  the  brightly  burnished 
ocean.  Our  steersman  redoubled  the  interest  with 
which  we  watched  its  graceful  movements,  by  men- 
tioning the  errand  on  which  it  is  daily  employed. 
Through  this  charming  strait  ten  or  twenty  vessels 
pass  sometimes  in  a  morning,  going  to  and  from 
Ireland,  and  even  to  America,  while  not  one  of  these 
ships  can  elude  the  vigilance  with  which  they  are 
waylaid  and  boarded  by  this  light  skiff,  carrying  a 
missionary  on  board,  who  offers  Bibles  gratis  to  any 
of  the  crew  who  may  be  unprovided.  The  sailors 
being  generally  Irish,  are  not  often  very  deeply 
versed  in  the  alphabet,  so  they  are  sometimes  as  ill 
off  after  receiving  the  precious  gift  as  before,  but 
we  may  hope  in  most  instances  that  the  promise  of 
Scripture  may  be  realized,  "  Cast  thy  bread  upon 
the  waters,  and  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days." 


208  LOCHALSH. 

This  friendly  visitation  is  usually  received  with 
gratitude  and  respect ;  but,  on  one  occasion,  an 
Irish  vessel,  manned  with  Roman  Catholics,  passing 
along  under  a  favourable  breeze,  observed  the  yacht 
hailing  them,  and  lay  to  for  some  time,  but  when 
the  object  of  their  detention  w^as  made  known,  the 
Captain,  furiously  irritated,  threw  all  the  Bibles 
overboard.  Thus  most  unfortunately  for  himself 
and  his  crew  he  did  not  exemplify  the  proverb  of 
Solomon,  "  every  man  is  the  friend  of  him  that  giv- 
eth  gifts/' 

During  our  short  voyage,  I  had  the  amusement 
of  seeing  a  strange  vessel  double  the  point  and  enter 
Lochduich,  when  instantly  the  little  yacht  hastened 
out  from  her  ambuscade  in  the  bay,  and  bore  down 
upon  the  new  comer  in  gallant  style.  She  was  lit- 
erally armed  with  Bibles,  and  ammunitioned  with 
tracts ;  and  it  was  curious  to  watch  the  unconscious 
stranger,  tacking  about  for  some  time,  quite  unob- 
servant of  the  little  missionary  bark  in  pursuit.  At 
one  time  we  could  have  fancied  a  perfect  race  be- 
tween the  tw^o  vessels,  both  of  which  were  beauti- 
fully manoeuvred,  tacking  and  re-tacking,  beating  up 
against  the  wind,  and  coursing  along  with  every  sail 
set,  till  at  length  the  larger  ship  lay  to,  and  was 
successfully  boarded  by  the  crew  of  friendly  assail- 
ants. How  very  much  I  should  have  liked  to  wit- 
ness the    scene   which    followed,    and    even   our 


LOCHALSH.  209 

boatmen,  who  had  watched  with  eager  interest  till 
the  encounter  took  place,  dropped  their  oars  for  a 
moment,  while  the  interview  commenced,  as  if  they 
had  almost  hoped  to  overhear  the  dialogue, — ^but — 
what  has  become  of  my  pens  and  paper ! — all  van- 
ished into  thin  air,  and  not  so  much  ink  left  as  will 
dot  an  i  or  stroke  a  ^  /  This  comes  of  approaching 
the  entrance  to  a  private  house,  therefore  I  must 
yield  to  necessity,  and  before  my  desk  finally  closes, 
wish  you  a  friendly  adieu. 


GLEN  SHEIL. 


And  this  gay  ling,  with  all  its  purple  flow'rs, 
A  man  of  leisure  might  admire  for  hours  ; 
And  then  how  fine  this  herbage  !  Men  may  say 
A  heath  is  barren  ;  nothing  is  so  gay  ! 

Crabbe. 

My  dear  Cousin, — We  used  to  be  much  diverted 
at  the  lady  who  once  said,  her  own  ideas  were  so 
fine,  it  perfectly  vulgarized  them  when  they- were 
clothed  in  words ;  but  I  fear  that  this  will  be  too 
much  the  case  with  my  description  of  the  scenery 
we  passed  through  to-day,  as  the  printers  have  for- 
gotten to  put  language  in  the  dictionary  that  can 
adequately  express  my  admiration  of  Glen  Shell,  a 
place  so  little  frequented  by  tourists,  that  I  may  rest 
my  hopes  of  pleasing  you  on  that  maxim  of  Boileau, 
■svith  which  I  am  sure  you  will  agree,  "  Tom  Us 
epUres  sont  bons,  pow'vu  qu'ils  soient  nouveaux.^' 

Having  been  called  at  a  shockingly  early  hour 
in  the  morning,  with  a  sleep-no-more  knock  at  my 
door,  I  found  myself,  not  long  afterwards,  seated  in 
a  little  dot  of  a  boat,  proceeding  up  Lochalsh  and 
Lochduich  with  a  favourable  breeze,  yet  so  light, 
that,  to  assist  the  rowers,  we  hoisted  our  umbrellas 
for  sails.     Along  these  romantic  shores,  shut  in  by 


GLEN   SHELL.  211 

green  mountains  of  every  shape  and  shade,  we  were 
surprised  to  observe  that  ahnost  every  building  in 
sight  was  either  a  church  or  a  manse,  but  where  the 
congregations  were  burrowing  we  could  not  dis- 
cover. In  the  course  of  an  hom^  we  must  have  seen 
the  habitations  of  a  whole  presbytery,  and  we  passed 
one  of  the  prettiest  pleasure-boats  I  ever  saw^,  be- 
longing to  a  minister  of  Kintail,  careering  across  the 
bay  at  full  speed,  its  white  sails  gracefully  dipping 
almost  into  the  tide. 

One  of  the  hills  we  saw,  named  Ratachan,  car- 
ries a  zig-zag  road  over  its  very  smnmit,  measuring 
altogether  some  miles.  For  travelling  round  this 
with  a  carriage,  it  would  be  desirable  to  yoke  in  a 
pair  of  goats  rather  than  horses.  An  Englishman, 
who  drove  his  carriage  over  this  almost  impassable 
track  some  time  ago,  took  off  his  hat  after  the  horses 
had  safely  scrambled  to  the  top,  saying,  mth  a 
low  bow,  "  Farewell,  Mr.  Ratachan,  may  I  never 
see  your  face  again !" 

At  the  foot  of  this  ladder-like  road  we  passed 
Ratachan  House,  which,  having  been  sold  by  Lord 
Seaforth,  became  the  property  of  a  Lowlander,  Mr. 
Dick.  The  Macraes,  enthusiastically  attached  to 
their  hereditary  feudal  chief,  considered  the  new  laird 
an  interloper,  but  might  have  become  resigned  to 
the  change,  had  he  not  been  comdcted  of  calling 
them  "barbarians  !"     Provoked  ^t  this  affront,  they 


212  GLEN   SHEIL. 

treated  the  stranger  as  nursery-maids  ti-eat  fretful 
children,  giving  them  "  something  to  cry  for."  The 
clan  Macrae  rose  in  numbers,  threw  his  sheep  over 
the  precipices,  fired  in  at  his  windows,  and  commit- 
ted so  many  outrages,  as  almost  to  justify  all  he  had 
said,  till  at  length  the  unfortunate  landed  proprietor 
hastily  departed. 

Our  boatmen  landed  us  in  safety  at  a  little  inn, 
near  the  head  of  Glen  Sheil,  and  departed,  after 
which,   to    our  consternation,  we   discovered   that 

A had  been  misinformed  as  to  the  facilities  of 

transport,  as  no  conveyance  of  any  description  could 
be  had, — not  so  much  as  a  bathing-machine  or  a 
wheel-barrow, — and  we  had  thirty-six  miles  to  go ! 
The  old  proverb  says,  that  "  misfortunes  come  on 
horseback,  but  go  away  on  foot ;"  and  we  seemed 
at  any  rate  destined  to  walk  off  in  company  with 
ours,  as  we  stood  helplessly  stranded  on  the  shore, 
ready,  like  Richard  the  Third,  to  give  our  kingdom 
for  a  horse,  but  in  vain.  I  had  never  yet  tried  the 
Irishman's  plan,  who  rode  out  every  day,  but  always 
forgot  his  horse ;  and  I  began  to  wonder  how  Jeanie 
Deans  progressed  during  her  long  promenade  to 
London.  Certainly,  in  so  remote  and  unprovided  a 
place,  it  would  be  but  fair  to  display  a  ticket  on  the 
pier,  saying,  "  No  thoroughfare  this  way !" 

"  It  is  a  long  lane  that  has  no  turning,"  and,  in 
the  very  depth  of  our  perplexity,  affairs  unexpect- 


GLEN    SHEIL.  213 

edly  took  a  brighter  aspect.  For  the  rest  of  my  life 
I  shall  always  speak  more  respectfully  than  hitherto 
of  that  necessary  evil,  a  letter  of  introduction,  as  we 
had  fortunately  been  provided  with  one  from  Mr. 
Cameron,  the  provost  of  Dingwall,  to  Captain  Mac- 
rae, a  resident  gentleman  in  the  neighbourhood.  On 
hearing  of  our  predicament,  he  not  only  insisted  on 
lending  us  his  gig,  with  a  servant  riding  behind,  to 
bring  it  back,  but  he  also  made  a  point  of  our  ta- 
king luncheon  with  him  before  setting  out.  Our 
trunks  having  proved  too  heavy  for  the  carriage, 
Mr.  Linton,  an  extensive  farmer  in  the  district,  most 
obligingly  volunteered  his  own  services  to  convey 
them,  and  thus,  before  an  hour  had  elapsed,  we  were 
in  full  progress  with  a  procession  of  two  borrowed 
gigs  and  an  out-rider,  through  the  splendid  moun- 
tains of  Glen  Sheil.  During  Thurtell's  trial,  one  of 
the  witnesses,  who  bore  testimony  to  his  respecta- 
bility, being  asked  what  was  meant  by  "  respect- 
able," confidently  replied,  "  He  keeps  his  gig,  Sir  !" 
but  we  looked  more  than  respectable  now,  with  a 
perfect  train  of  them,  and  the  road  is  so  excellent,  it 
really  deserves  a  mail  coach.  All  around  was  rug- 
ged, solitary,  and  silent,  while  the  mountains  were 
like  a  perpendicular  wall  on  every  side,  or  a  long 
range  of  sugar-loaves,  varied  by  a  numerous  and 
valuable  assortment  of  rocks  and  heather. 

A passed  this  way  several  years  ago,  and 

19 


214  GLEN    SHEIL. 

thinks  the  hills  not  at  all  grown  since  then,  while 
the  fir  forests  are  considerably  thinned,  which  makes 
a  lamentable  alteration ;  and  the  aboriginal  inhab- 
itants, w^ho  all  bore  the  name  of  Macrae,  are  begin- 
nino-  to  be  mingled  with  settlers  from  other  clans. 
Mr.  Linton  related,  that,  about  twenty  years  ago,  he 
was  the  fii-st  stranger  who  ventured  to  "  squat"  in 
this  glen,  and  so  violent  w^ere  the  Macraes  for  non- 
intrusion, that  he  underwent  a  siege  in  his  own 
farm-house,  till  a  military  escort  was  sent,  for  the 
protection  of  his  sheep,  his  wife,  and  himself,  after 
which,  at  last,  his  own  conciliatory  measures  suc- 
ceeded in  pacifying  them ;  but  he  ended  his  narra- 
tive with  remarking,  "It  was  lucky  for  us  that  the 
Highlanders  had  fought  all  their  battles  before  our 
time.  There  are  places  here  where  the  king's 
troops  set  a'  the  trees  and  heather  in  a  low.'^ 

The  Cheviot  sheep  are  too  heavy  for  those  steep 
mountains,  and  Mr.  Linton  mentioned  an  almost  in- 
credible nmnber  that  he  had  lost,  by  their  toppling 
over  precipices.  The  Macraes  were  a  numerous 
clan,  but  tributary  to  the  Mackenzies,  and  went 
by  the  name  of  "  Seaforth's  shirt,"  being  always 
nearest  to  that  chieftain  in  battle.  Here  the  two 
united  clans  fought  their  last  against  the  English, 
in  1719,  when  the  banished  Earl  of  Seaforth  sum- 
moned his  adherents  around  him,  and  was  danger- 
ously wounded  in  the  conflict.     A  Dutch  colonel 


CLUNY.  215 

^vas,  on  that  occasion,  killed  by  the  Highland 
troops,  and  his  grave  was  pointed  out  to  us  on  a 
hill  near  the  river,  covered  with  tufts  of  nettles,  a 
suitable  ornament,  with  which  the  soil  has  decorated 
an  enemy's  tomb.  Not  far  off,  a  deep  pool  is  shown, 
called  "  The  battle  lynn,"  where  a  large  deposit  of 
battle-axes  and  weapons  was  recently  found,  fit  for 
nothing  now  but  the  Antiquarian  Museum. 

Notwithstanding  frequent  showers,  A made 

a  full  stop  every  now  and  then,  as  much  at  leisure 
as  if  the  day  had  been  a  perfect  paragon,  while  we 
admired  and  criticised  the  changing  panorama 
around.  On  some  hills  the  light  drooping  foliage 
of  the  birch,  hanging  in  draperies  to  the  very  ground, 
contrasted  with  the  tall,  stiff,  dark-looking  fir-trees, 
gave  me  completely  the  idea  of  several  graceful 
ladies,  courtseying  down  the  hill,  in  company  with 
a  numerous  party  of  gentlemen  !  Now,  I  pique  my- 
self on  that  comparison,  so  you  must  positively  not 
ridicule  it ! 

We  rested  that  night  at  the  little  inn  of  Cluny, 
where  on  all  the  plates  at  dinner,  these  words  were 
inscribed,  "  Life  is  short,  so  spend  it  well."  Cer- 
tainly no  one  will  spend  more  of  it  than  they  can 
help  here,  as  the  very  necessaries  of  life  are  luxuries 
unattainable  on  any  terms  :  my  bed  was  a  mere 
hole  in  the  wall,  our  dinner  consisted  of  real  buttered 
eggs,  with  very  salt  ham,  and  we  had  not  even  the 


216  IN\^ERMORRISTON. 

consolation  of  being  angiy  at  their  many  deficiencies, 
as  the  poor  people  were  so  perfectly  civil  and  well- 
meaning,  that  they  evidently  did  their  little  best, 
and  almost  slammed  the  door  off  its  hinges  with 
empressement,  in  flying  to  obey  om'  most  trifling- 
order.  I  pity  above  everything,  those  persons  who 
lead  a  life  of  continual  care  about  their  own  com- 
forts; the  occasional  want  of  them,  is  certainly 
a  most  salutary  admonition  to  contentment  in 
general,  and  I  should  like  much  to  ascertain  the  ex- 
act amount  of  convenience  promised  in  an  advertise- 
ment, which  appeared  in  the  newspaper  lately,  of  a 
shooting  quarter,  where  gentlemen  might  "  rough  it 
with  comfort."  Undoubtedly  that  was  not  our  happy 
lot,  either  at  Cluny,  or  when,  after  a  drive  of  many 
miles  down  the  glen,  through  natural  forests  which 
top  the  highest  hills,  we  arrived  next  morning  before 
breakfast  at  Invermorriston,  where  a  change  of  ad- 
ministration was  taking  place  at  the  inn,  and  the  old 
landlord,  in  the  process  of  transferring  his  furniture 
to  a  successor,  had  heaped  every  article  miscellane- 
ously together  at  the  door,  for  inspection.  Nothing 
is  done  in  the  Highlands  without  an  accompaniment 
of  whiskey,  the  flavour  of  which  pervaded  every  cor- 
ner of  the  house  so  powerfully,  that  any  tee-totaller 
would  have  committed  a  breach  of  his  oath,  by 
merely  inhaling  the  air,  while  the  waiter  had  no  time 
to  wait,  the  maid  was  as  useless  and  sulky  as  an 


IXVERMORRISTON.  217 

American  help,  and  the  horses  were  all  absent  on 

perpetual  leave.     In  our  extremity  A went  to 

consult  that  important  functionary,  the  factor  of 
Glenmoriston,  a  Mr.  Sinclair,  who  had  arrived  to 
instal  the  new  landlord,  and  he  came  to  our  parlour 
full  of  civil  regret,  but  reiterating  the  most  positive 
assurance,  that  our  case  was  without  remedy,  as  the 
horses  were  all  "  sorry  that  a  previous  engagement 
prevented  them  from  having  the  honour  of  waiting 
on  us."  He  really  looked  as  anxious  and  distressed 
as  the  cashier  of  a  bank  when  there  is  a  run  upon  it, 
and  seemed  willing  to  do  as  much  as  was  possible, 
and  rather  more,  in  our  behalf,  but  in  vain.  The 
mail-gig  to  Inverness,  which  runs  three  times  a-week, 
was,  of  course,  going  the  wrong  way  for  us  that 
morning,  and  unless  we  could  have  got  a  press-gang 
to  assist  us,  none  of  the  boatmen  seemed  inclined  to 
row  up  any  part  of  Loch  Ness.  Seeing  that  nothing 
could  be  done,  I  sat  down  in  despair  to  eat  a  hearty 
breakfast,  and  to  form  myself  into  a  committee  of 
ways  and  means,  while  the  factor,  who  seemed  of 
a  sociable  turn,  hovered  about  the  table,  and  fell 
into  conversation.  Strangers  must  be  rather  scarce 
commodities  in  this  neighbourhood,  where  no  facility 
is  afforded  for  coming  or  going,  and  in  the  course  of 
a  long  dialogue,  the  important  fact  came  out,  that 

A was  of  Mr.  Sinclair's  own  clan,  and  brother 

to  the  M.  P.  for  Caithness.     The  consequence  was 
19* 


218  FORESTS. 

quite  magical !  Our  friend  had  been  at  Thurso 
Castle,  knew  everything,  and  everybody  there,  was 
delighted  to  meet  us,  ordered  up  a  glass  of  whis- 
key, drank  our  healths,  and  placed  forthwith  both 
a  gig  and  a  pleasure-boat  at  our  immediate  disposal ! 
I  was  perfectly  bewildered  at  my  own  good  fortune ! 
Cinderella's  god-mother  was  nothing  to  this !  Con- 
veyances by  land  or  water  had  sprung  up  around  us 
like  mushrooms,  and  I  felt  now,  as  if  a  whole  stand 
of  hackney  coaches  were  waiting  at  the  door. 

Being  anxious  to  give  the  very  least  possible 
quantity  of  trouble,we  preferred  the  boat,  especially 
seeing  so  very  fine  a  day,  that  Loch  Ness  was  likely 
to  prove  smoother  than  the  best  Macadamised  road. 
Mr.  Sinclair  escorted  us  to  the  quay,  across  a  daisied 
meadow  of  such  delicious  looking  pasture,  that  any 
one  might  have  eaten  it  with  pleasure,  and  we  pro- 
ceeded through  a  shady  glen  decorated  with  birch 
and  hazel,  where  the  birds  were  all  gossiping  around, 
and  the  river  audibly  trickling  over  its  pebbly  bed. 
Here  we  saw  a  famous  salmon  leap,  in  which  the 
fish  spring  up  seven  or  eight  feet,  but  never  clear 
the  full  height,  while  they  exhaust  their  powers  in 
vain  endeavours,  like  so  many  others  Avho  wish  to 
rise  in  the  world,  and  attempt  too  much. 

Who  could  have  anticipated,  that  the  invention  of 
railways  would  prostrate  many  of  our  finest  High- 
land forests!   but  so  it  is!  all  innovations  in  this 


FORESTS.  219 

world  produce  unexpected  results  in  quarters  where 
they  could  not  have  been  anticipated,  and  many  of 
the  most  beautiful  hills  in  this  neighbourhood  will 
soon  be  "  all  shaven  and  shorn,"  owing  to  the  high 
price  given  for  fir  and  larch  trees,  to  act  as  sleepers 
on  the  railways.  Every  Highland  proprietor  now, 
seems,  one  way  or  other,  to  get  ,£10,000  for  his 
forests,  whatever  state  they  be  in!  Mr.  Grant  of 
Glenmoriston  has  lately  sold  <£  10,000  worth  of 
standing  wood  to  an  English  Company,  whose  saw- 
mills are  visible  on  the  mountain  sides  in  full  action, 
and  nothing  can  be  more  curious  than  to  superintend 
their  operations.  The  trunk  of  a  tree  can  be  split 
into  planks,  during,  as  Lord  Duberly  would  say, 
"  the  twinkling  of  a  bed-post."  It  is  laid  on  the 
block  entire,  emits  a  sound  exactly  resembling  a 
long,  loud,  shrill  scream,  and  falls  into  slices  before 
your  eyes. 

On  the  outskirts  of  almost  every  great  forest  in 
the  north,  several  of  those  odious  machines  may  be 
observed,  conspicuous  from  the  fresh  deal  boards  of 
which  they  are  built,  and  prepared  to  guillotine  all 
our  unoffending  trees.  Alas !  for  Braemar !  Strath- 
glass  !  the  Drhuim !  and  Culloden !  w^e  are  paying 
a  P.  P.  C.  visit  to  the  falling  forests  of  Scotland, 
and  if  everybody  cuts,  while  nobody  plants,  the 
consequences  are  obvious.  As  the  Highland  Soci- 
ety presents  a  prize  annually  to  the  proprietor  who 


220  LOCH   NESS. 

raises  the  greatest  number  of  trees  in  that  year,  I 
wish  they  would  offer  another  to  the  one  who  cuts 
down  fewest.  We  are  told  it  is  provided  in  the  en- 
tail of  Rothiemarchus,  that,  for  eveiy  tree  which  is 
levelled,  two  must  be  planted,  and  I  msh  all  High- 
land lairds  would  do  the  same,  and  remember  the 
advice  of  Dumbiedykes,  "  Aye  be  sticking  in  a  tree 
— it  will  be  growing  while  you  are  sleeping."  Sub- 
stitutes have  been  provided  on  the  estate  of  Glen- 
moriston,  merely  by  enclosing  large  tracts  of  land, 
which  all  produce  birch,  fir,  and  hazel,  as  naturally 
as  heather,  but  this  fencing  system  is  seldom  done 
on  so  liberal  a  scale  elsewhere,  because  trees  inter- 
fere with  sheep,  the  true  grandees  of  the  Highlands, 
more  illustrious  there  than  either  forests  or  tenantry. 
They  are  the  black-legs  of  Scotland,  fleecing  the 
poor  people  out  of  their  homes  and  livelihoods, 
while  they  strip  the  hills  and  groves  perfectly  bare. 
I  wish  we  could  have  mutton  without  sheep  !  Ev- 
ery peat-bog  here  exhibits  one  mass  of  roots  and 
fibres,  showing  that  the  Highlands  once  needed 
''  clearing"  as  much  as  America. 

After  stepping  into  our  welcome  conveyance,  a 
pretty  little  skiff,  rowed  by  two  fine-looking  Locha- 
ber  men,  we  glided  up  Loch  Ness,  the  smooth  sur- 
face of  which  was  so  like  a  sheet  of  glass,  that 
every  time  the  oars  dipped  they  seemed  to  break  a 
valuable  mirror.     The   hills   displayed  one  richly- 


LOCH   NESS.  221 

tinted  mass  of  birch,  oak,  and  alder,  enlivened  by 
the  gay  mountain- ash  and  hawthorn,  all  so  closely 
crowded,  that  you  could  scarcely  have  stuck  in  an- 
other leaf,  and  the  whole  magnificent  scene  was  re- 
flected upside  down  in  the  water  so  distinctly,  that 
Ave  could  scarcely  tell  the  substance  from  the  shadow. 
This  effect  was  most  amusing,  as  the  highroad 
skirted  along  the  water  side  for  many  miles,  while 
far  down  in  the  crystal  tide  we  saw  a  repetition  of 
every  traveller,  wood-cutter,  cart  or  carriage — no  ! 
there  were  no  carriages — but  abundance  of  cattle 
and  horses.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  now  saw 
in  the  water,  exactly  what  we  used,  as  children,  to 
suppose  the  antipodes  would  appear,  with  a  sky  far 
beneath,  while  men,  trees,  and  animals  were  perfect- 
ly at  ease,  with  their  heads  dow^nwards,  and  their 
feet  supernaturally  adhering  to  the  earth.  The  ap- 
pearance of  amazing  depth,  occasioned  by  seeing  the 
clouds  reflected  so  far  below^  us,  had  a  sublime  effect. 
In  the  very  midst  of  our  prosperous  voyage,  we 
had  an  accident !  One  great  fault  in  letters  is,  that 
you  cannot  work  up  the  interest  to  any  breathless 
degree,  because  the  writer  must,  in  all  probabihty, 
have  survived,  which  we  fortunately  did,  but  one  of 
the  oars  suddenly  snapped  in  two,  and  threw  the 
boatman  on  his  face.  We  instantly  paddled  to- 
wards the  nearest  landing  place,  which  turned 
out  to  be   near  an  ale-house,  where   the   tavern- 


222  ^  URQUHART    CASTLE. 

keeper  was  exceedingly  civil  in  making  us  welcome 
to  the  best  oar  he  had.  Upon  this,  the  rowers  mod- 
estly suggested  that,  on  so  hot  a  day,  after  their  se- 
vere labour,  and  the  unexpected  accident,  it  would  be 

extremely  acceptable  if  A would  order,  for  the 

good  of  the  house,  "  a  taste  of  whiskey."  -  If  the 
w^hole  Temperance  Society  had  been  on  board  our 
little  skiif  they  must  have  consented,  and  a  mode- 
rate supply  was  instantly  produced.  Highlanders 
seem  all  to  think  they  should  be  preserved  in  spirits ; 

but  A ,  to  avoid  all  danger  of  excess,  threw  a 

considerable  proportion  into  the  Loch,  gravely  re- 
marking, that  it  would  bring  us  "  luck !"  Our 
friends  would  evidently  have  preferred  the  whiskey 
to  the  luck,  but  divided  all  that  remained,  drank  our 
healths,  and  proceeded  with  renewed  energy.  We 
soon  afterwards  landed  near  the  old  remnant  of  Ur- 
quhart  Castle,  once  a  Royal  fortress,  and  now  be- 
longing to  the  Grants  of  Grant.  A  few  tattered 
fragments  yet  rise  above  the  lofty  rock  on  which 
they  were  reared,  looking  like  chimneys,  and  as  if 
the  precipice  were  the  castle.  Here  sieges  and  mas- 
sacres took  place  in  the  stirring  times  of  Edward 
the  First,  w^hen,  like  a  bull  in  a  China  shop,  the 
English  had  it  all  their  own  way,  and  broke  down 
so  many  of  our  fortresses,  though  Scotland  at  last 
proved  herself  unconquerable. 

After  going  one  mile  inland,  we   discovered  a 


DRUMNADPvOCHIT.  223 

peculiarly  comfortable,  praise-worthy  inn  at  Drum- 
nadrochit.  The  name  puts  my  spelling  to  a  severe 
test !  It  is  doing  the  public  a  service  to  encourage 
so  well  kept  an  establishment ;  therefore,  instead  of 
pushing  on  by  forced  marches  upon  Inverness,  we 
subsided  into  our  arm-chairs,  for  the  good  of  the 
house,  and  talked  over  our  adventurous  escape  from 
Skye  and  its  vicinity.  The  paragon  of  landladies 
had  prepared  an  excellent  dinner,  on  the  chance  of 
any  travellers  wanting  it,  and  sent  us  up,  on  the 
very  shortest  imaginable  notice,  a  roast  joint,  the 
only  fresh  pastry  I  almost  ever  saw"  in  travelling, — 
for  you  would  fancy,  at  inns  in  general,  that  the 
tarts  were  all  bought  second-hand, — and  the  most 
elaborately  fanciful  dish  of  potatoes  I  ever  saw, 
being  tastefully  turned  out,  like  a  shape  of  blanc- 
mange, with  a  pattern  of  grapes  and  vine  leaves  on 
the  top,  which  might  have  done  for  a  marble  chim- 
ney-piece. So  curiously  decorated  a  style  is  not 
always  the  safest  in  a  kitchen,  if  one  only  knew  the 
w^orst ;  and  I  remember  once  hearing  of  an  officer 
in  Ireland,  who  w^as  partaking  of  some  ingeniously 
contrived  eggs,  the  outside  being  of  blanc-mange 
and  the  inside  of  jelly,  when  an  old  lady  remarked, 
how  glad  she  was  she  liked  them,  as  it  had  been 
her  employment  all  that  day  "to  blow  out  the 
yolks,  and  to  blow  in  the  blanc-mange !" 

I  have  been  informed  that  Mr.  Elphinstone,  who 


524  GLEN   URQUHART. 

knows  the  whole  round  world  by  sight,  once  pro- 
nounced Glen  Urquhart  and  Strathglass  to  be  the 
most  beautiful  landscapes  he  had  ever  seen^  which 
will  save  me  the  trouble  of  going  to  India,  or  the 
antipodes  ;  but,  in  the  meantime,  we  delayed  not  an 
hour  this  evening  to  enjoy  a  drive  through  the  ro- 
mantic beauties  of  Glen  Urquhart,  in  a  little  double- 
seated  phaeton,  drawn  by  a  fine  Arabian-looking 
grey  horse,  w-hich  might  have  trotted  for  a  w^ager. 
I  discovered  unexpectedly  during  our  progress  that 
a  morsel  of  South  Wales  has  certainly  been,  some 
how  or  other,  shuffled  in  here !  The  rich  meadows, 
the  sloping  green  banks,  the  luxuriant  wood,  the 
wilderness  of  sweet  briars,  the  neat  cottages,  and 
the  profusion  of  tasteful  villas,  are  all  quite  Welsh. 
A  lake,  like  a  sea  of  liquid  hght,  at  the  top  of  this 
glen,  is  as  closely  beset  with  ornamental  mansions 
and  cottages  as  either  Hampstead  Heath  or  Wim- 
bledon Common,  and  nearly  all  seem  tenanted  by 
Grants,  who  are  very  fortunate  people  to  have  got 
so  delightful  a  "  location."  An  extraordinary  pro- 
fusion of  roses  in  all  the  hedges  and  fields  gave  a 
full-dressed  look  to  the  countiy,  as  if  it  were  hung 
with  garlands  for  a  fete.  The  tall  pyramids  of  fox- 
glove seemed  too  splendid  for  encountering  the  dust 
of  a  highroad,  and,  altogether,  natm-e  here  had 
made  herself  quite  extravagantly  fine.  Several  of 
the  hills  wore  on  their  shoulders  gold  epaulettes  of 


GLEN  UEQUHART.  225 

whin  and  yellow  broom,  while  others  were  clothed 
with  gloomy  masses  of  fir.  If  you  wish  to  make  a 
very  beautiful  table  or  cabinet  for  your  boudoir,  no 
wood  looks  half  so  well  as  the  broom,  which  may 
be  had  here  five  or  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  beau- 
tifully striped  in  light  and  dark  shades,  like  ivory 
and  ebony.     This  was  an  idea,  long  ago,  of  your 

friend  Lady 's,  but  no  one  else  ever  tried  it, 

and  the  most  ingenious  things  require  to  be  recom- 
mended, for,  as  the  proverb  truly  says,  "The  tongue 
of  the  fool  is  often  requisite  to  the  inventions  of  the 
wise." 

More  might  be  said  hereof  to  make  a  proof, 
Yet  more  to  say  were  more  than  is  enough. 


20 


FALL  OF  FOYERS. 


"  Time  and  I  against  any  two," 

Spanish  Proverb. 

My  dear  Cousin, — -Nobody  can  say  now  that 
I  have  not  seen  the  Fall  of  Foyers  !  This  morning 
we  stood  below  and  above  the  cascade,  took  it  in 
profile  and  in  full  face,  weighed,  measured,  criti- 
cised, admired,  and,  in  short,  did  every  thing  but 
swallow  it.  You  would  perhaps  have  been  tempted 
to  re-echo  the  exclamation  of  Wilson  the  artist,  on 
his  first  arrival  here,  "well  done,  water!"  but  I 
begin  to  suspect  that  my  Highland  second-sight  has 
at  some  time  or  other  favoured  me  with  a  vision  of 
Niagara,  as  nothing  short  of  that  seems  ever  likely 
to  satisfy  my  craving  for  water ;  and  I  must  venture 
to  disclose,  in  the  strictest  confidence,  that  my  first 
sensation  was  disappointment !  We  have  often  re- 
marked, that  children  never  will  appear  to  advan- 
tage when  most  wished  to  do  so ;  and  it  is  the  same 
with  cascades,  which  always  happen  to  be  particu- 
larly quiet  and  stupid  when  any  one  goes  to  see 
them.  Instead  of  the  sublime,  I  saw  only  the  beau- 
tiful j  but  certainly  the  scenery  around  is  worth 
coming  all  the  distance  to  enjoy,  being  more  like  a 
poet's  dream  than  a  reality, — the  rough  rocky  fore- 


FALL  OF  FOYERS.  227 

ground,  the  park  of  Foyers  behind,  bright  and  sunny, 
as  if  it  had  been  washed  over  with  gamboge ;  the 
charming  ghmpses  of  the  lake,  surrounded  by  richly 
clothed  banks,  and  the  dark  sterile  mountains  be- 
yond. The  cascade  falls  212  feet,  shrieking  and 
roaring  among  rocks  all  sheathed  in  glittering  foam, 
and  ends  in  a  deep  pool,  w^hich  looked  blacker  than 
the  ink  I  am  writing  with.  One  curious  rock  is 
there,  formed  by  nature  into  a  colossal  head,  up  to 
the  chin  in  water,  as  if  a  giant  were  drowning. 
The  eyes  and  nose  are  quite  perfect,  and  I  pointed 
him  out  to  the  guide,  w^ho  agreed  that  he  seemed 
almost  alive,  but  he  is  only  visible  when  the  stream 
falls  very  low.  To-day,  instead  of  rushing  over  the 
higher  points,  it  was  merely  decanted  through  a 
narrow  gorge,  like  the  neck  of  a  large  bottle,  Avith 
rocks  closing  over  the  top.  A  long  narrow  point 
of  rock,  like  a  lofty  wall,  with  a  giddy  precipice  on 
both  sides,  and  the  tumultuous  water  beneath,  is 
considered  the  best  place  from  whence  to  see  the 
fall,  if  you  do  not  fall  yourself,  and,  when  standing 
on  its  utmost  verge,  we  could  form  a  perfect  con- 
ception how  the  Buccaneers  formerly  put  prisoners 
to  death  by  making  them  "  walk  the  plank." 

Near  this  we  met  a  poor  beggar,  who  showed 
us  the  certificate  of  a  magistrate,  that  he  had  per- 
mission to  beg,  having  once  unfortunately  ventured  a 
step  too  far  and  fallen  over.     His  thigh  was  dislo- 


228  FALL  OF  FOYERS. 

cated,  and  he  lay  all  night  on  a  rock,  perfectly 
helpless,  till  accidentally  discovered  by  a  shepherd's 
dog.  It  is  curious  that  those  wonderfully  sagacious 
animals  have,  in  some  degree,  the  instinct  belong- 
ing to  every  various  species  of  their  kind;  and 
this  creature,  acting  as  any  dog  of  St.  Bernard's 
would  have  done,  ran  instantly  for  his  master,  who 
came,  expecting  to  find  one  of  his  own  sheep  in 
distress,  and  rescued  the  miserable  sufferer.  We 
gave  him  a  trifle,  and  I  was  amused  to  see  the  guide 
immediately  afterwards  ask  our  petitioner  for  some 
tobacco,  of  which,  in  spite  of  his  poverty,  he  pro- 
duced a  plentiful  supply,  and  shared  it  liberally 
with  his  friend. 

If  the  fall  of  Foyers  were  mine,  I  should  cer- 
tainly make  a  better  path  for  travellers,  as  the  toil- 
some ascent  is  through  a  sea  of  mud,  but  we  felt  re- 
warded, if  the  scramble  had  been  twice  as  long, 
and  ten  times  as  dirty.  Several  fields  we  saw  here 
were  almost  at  right  angles  with  the  ocean,  and  on 
the  summit  of  a  lofty  mountain,  called  Mealfourvo- 
nie,  the  guide  assured  us  that  there  is  a  well  of 
water  so  unfathomably  deep,  the  bottom  has  never 
yet  been  found,  but  he  added,  that  "it  pierces 
through  the  whole  hill,  and  any  one  throAving  in  a 
stick  or  a  stone,  if  he  has  luck,  may  find  it  after- 
wards floating  on  Loch  Ness."  I  should  be  sorry  if 
my  luck  in  life  depended  on  believing  this. 


LOCH  NESS.  229 

Crossing  Loch  Ness  on  our  return  from  Foyers, 
we  encountered  more  sea  than  in  all  the  other 
Highland  ferries  united,  and  if  an  accident  had  oc- 
curred here,  it  would  have  been  a  very  paltry  and 
pitiful  termination  to  our  adventures.  I  should 
have  been  as  much  mortified  and  surprised,  as  the 
soldier  killed  some  time  ago  on  the  Portobello  sands, 
who  said  it  was  hard  to  end  his  life  at  a  mere  re- 
view",  after  escaping  the  dangers  of  Waterloo. 
The  water  of  Foyers,  being  evidently  of  a  tumultu- 
ous disposition,  does  not  recover  its  equanimity  in 
Loch  Ness,  w^hich  is  never  known  to  be  frozen  in 
winter,  and  to-day  our  little  boat  hopped  along  on 
the  waves  wdth  terrifying  agility,  while  the  boatman 
politely  apologized  for  its  being  so  old  and  rickety, 
assuring  me  that  he  expected  a  new  one  next  day, 
though  that  certainly  did  not  avail  us  much  at  the 
moment,  when  I  expected  every  instant  that  we 
should  be,  to  use  a  Scotch  expression,"  whummelled." 
This  little  skiff  is  rowed  in  general  by  a  Highland 
girl,  but  the  ferry  worn  an  was  absent,  which  I 
regretted,  as  she  is  said  to  pull  better  than  any 
man.  You  would  be  amused  to  see  w^hat  useful 
people  w^omen  are  in  the  far  north.  They  drive 
the  carts,  hold  the  ploughs,  in  short,  do  all  the 
7nan\ia.\  labour,  and  if  a  cottager  loses  his  horse  or 
ox,  or  any  other  beast  of  burden,  he  marries  a  mfe 
to  make  up  the  difference. 

Our  drive  from  Drumnadrochit  to  Inverness,  fif- 
20* 


230  INVERNESS. 

teen  miles,  partly  along  the  edge  of  Loch  Ness, 
combined  all  English,  Welsh,  and  Highland  beauty, 
and  though  we  are  becoming  fastidious  about  scene- 
ry, after  seeing  so  much  of  the  best,  this  appeared 
almost  beyond  criticism.  The  usual  difficulty  oc- 
curs, however,  on  some  of  the  mountains,  to  group 
the  plantations  becomingly,  and  to-day  w^e  observed 
three  of  the  hills  with  perfectly  round  clmnps  on 
their  summits,  cut  so  exactly  circular,  that  you 
would  imagine  they  had  been  cropped  with  a  basin 
over  their  heads. 

In  our  way  we  passed  Dochfbur,  belonging  to 
Mr.  Baillie.  It  has  a  charming  park  to  boast  of,  a 
beautiful  lake,  and  abundance  of  venerable  trees, 
which  formerly  made  a  narrow  escape  of  their 
lives,  a  ci-devant  proprietor  having  condemned 
them  all  to  the  axe,  but  when  advertised  for  sale, 
an  obliging  friend  of  the  next  heir  clandestinely 
purchased  the  whole  lot,  and  asked  the  laird  if 
they  might  be  allowed,  as  a  favour,  to  grow  till 
wanted.  This  uncommon  proposal  excited  no  sus- 
picion, and  the  old  gentleman,  when  showing  his 
grounds,  often  mentioned  as  a  good  story  against 
the  purchaser,  that  he  had  got  not  only  the  price, 
but  the  benefit  of  the  trees,  which  had  obtained  so 
long  a  reprieve,  they  might  perhaps  be  allowed 
*•  to  see  him  out,"  which  accordingly  they  did,  for 
his  monument  may  now  be  conspicuously  seen  from 
the  road,  shaded  by  the  far-spreading-boughs. 


INVERNESS.  231 

How  unpleasant  the  final  show  off  is,  made  by 
drivers  and  horses  on  entering  a  town !  Their 
whole  speed  is  reserved  for  the  narrowest  lanes,  ill- 
causewayed,  and  perfectly  paved  with  children, 
flocks  of  whom  may  be  seen  flying  in  all  directions, 
at  our  approach,  like  a  covey  of  partridges  after  a 
shot  has  been  fired.  We  tilted  over  the  streets  and 
bridges  of  Inverness,  at  full  career,  grazing  against 
carriages  and  people,  while  the  horse  became  more 
and  more  excited,  till  at  last  with  a  rapid  swing  we 
turned  a  sharp  corner,  and  wheeled  up  to  the  hotel, 
stopping  with  a  crash  as  sudden  as  if  a  portcullis 
had  fallen  before  us. 

An  English  gentleman  once  asked  in  company, 
with  a  bewildered  look,  "  Pray !  can  any  one  tell 
me,  whether  Edinburgh  is  north  of  Inverness,  or 
Inverness  north  of  Edinburgh!"  Having  practi- 
cally studied  this  obscure  question,  I  can  now  testify 
to  the  truth  of  oiu*  commonly  received  opinions  on 
their  geographical  position ;  and  those  who  travel 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  nearer  the  pole,  will 
find  this  Highland  metropolis  well  worth  exploring. 
The  situation  is  magnificent,  the  inns  and  county 
jail  first-rate,  the  harbour  excellent;  in  short,  I 
could  write  you  a  letter  as  dry  and  uninteresting  as 
a  stone-dike  about  this  venerable  city,  but  towns 
never  describe  well,  and  the  larger  they  are,  the 
more  hopelessly  tiresome  the  description  becomes. 


232  INVERNESS. 

After  all,  what  does  it  signify  to  you  and  me,  how 
the  people  of  Inverness  are  lodged,  provided  they  be 
pleased  themselves  ?  Some  streets  are  broad,  others 
are  narrow;  some  of  the  churches  have  towers, 
and  others  have  none ;  the  river  has  a  bridge,  the 
castle  has  nearly  disappeared,  the  jail  has  a  mag- 
nificent steeple,  and  the  new  county  rooms,  built 
of  bright  scarlet  stone,  dazzle  our  sight,  so  that 
we  must  shade  our  eyes  to  look  at  them ! 

During  a  rainy  Sunday  at  Inverness,  w^e  attended 
divine  service  at  a  small  chapel.  Within  a  church 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  a  preacher  was 
holding  forth  at  the  same  time,  in  tones  so  extremely 
vehement,  that  even  w^hen  we  sat  in  the  pew  of  a 
different  building,  with  a  broad  street  between,  it 
w^as  perfectly  startling  to  hear  his  noisy  vocifera- 
tions. You  would  have  supposed  that  some  violent 
demagogue  was  angrily  inciting  a  mob  to  insurrec- 
tion, rather  than  a  minister  of  the  gospel  promul- 
gating the  solemn  and  affecting  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity ;  and  I  could  not  but  think,  that,  while  no 
teacher  ever  said  more  awful  truths  than  our  Divine 
Savioiu-  himself,  yet  in  his  tenderness  and  commise- 
ration for  the  very  worst  of  sinners,  he  probably 
preached  very  differently,  seeking  with  all  meekness 
and  dignity  to  produce 

Faith's  calm  triumph,  reason's  steady  sway, 
Not  the  brief  lightning,  but  the  perfect  day. 


INVERNESS.  233 

If  pulpit  oratoiy  were  intended  to  inculcate  merely 
one  great  effort, — to  produce  only  a  short  lucid  in- 
terval from  the  mental  derangement  of  worldliness, — 
or  if  such  a  sacrifice  were  necessary,  as  that  of  the 
deluded  Hindoos,  who  cast  themselves  under  the  car 
of  Juggernaut,  such  excitement  might  draw  out  a 
corresponding  impulse ;  but  for  inspiring  solemn 
truths,  deep  feelings,  and  steady  principles,  far  more 
permanent  impressions  are  likely  to  be  made  by  an 
impressive  tone  of  heartfelt  conviction, — not  by  the 
flaming  countenance  and  angry  gesticulations  of  a 
special  pleader,  but  by  earnest,  solemn,  and  ener- 
getic admonitions,  like  those  of  a  parent  or  brother, 
who  comes  as  an  ambassador  of  Christ,  to  teach  and 
encom^age  the  many  who  are  struggling  through  a 
stormy  tide  of  worldly  cares  and  temptations,  and 
whose  own  spirit  is  filled  with  love  to  God,  and 
charity  to  all  men. 

Nothing  convinced  me  more,  how  important  it 
is  to  preserve  a  tone  of  dignified  calmness  on  sacred 
subjects,  than  to  hear  that  once,  when  a  petition 
from  the  General  Assembly  of  Scotland  on  Chmxh 
politics  was  received  with  grave  attention  by  the 
House  of  Lords,  it  w^as  ended  by  some  tremendously 
vehement  language,  and  when  a  final  period  came, 
the  astonished  Peers  burst  into  a  simultaneous  peal  of 
laughter,  on  hearing  that  it  was  "  Signed  by  The 
Moderator  !" 


CAWDOR  CASTLE. 


Faster  come  !  faster  come  ! 
Faster  and  faster ! 

Pibroch. 

My  dear  Cousin, — You  need  no  longer  ask  me 
where  I  have  been,  but  where  I  have  not  been,  for 
we  are  flying  so  incessantly  from  place  to  place, 
that  I  even  sleep  in  a  hurry,  and  grudge  myself  time 
to  snatch  a  morsel  of  dinner ;  but  as  it  used  to  be 
said  of  the  celebrated  Lord  Cullen,  that  if  he  dipped 
into  a  book  for  tw^o  minutes,  he  could  talk  about  it 
for  two  years,  you  will  think  my  way  of  dipping 
into  a  country  is  on  a  somewhat  similar  scale  of 
proportion. 

We  passed  near  Culloden  moor  to-day,  and  saw 
the  dreary  scene  where  Scotland's  lance  was  shiv- 
ered, where  her  shield  was  broken,  her  banner  of 
pride  laid  low,  and  where  "  the  red  eye  of  battle 
was  shut  in  despair."  Some  miles  beyond  stands 
Cawdor  Castle,  about  six  centuries  old,  but  with  a 
roof  still  over  its  head,  and  surrounded  by  trees, 
which  even  Dr.  Johnson  condescended  to  notice 
with  respect.  "  Hail,  Thane  of  Cawdor  !  This  cas- 
tle hath  a  pleasant  seat !"  It  is,  moreover,  garri- 
soned by  a  civil  courtseying  housekeeper,  who  pa- 


CAWDOR   CASTLE.  235 

raded  us  about  from  one  odd-looking  room  to  anoth- 
er, apologizing  for  the  very  thing  which  most  de- 
lighted me, — the  rude  uncivilized  aspect  of  the 
whole  place  and  furniture.  I  would  have  been  dis- 
gusted by  the  sight  of  a  modern  luxury  or  comfort 
in  such  a  scene,  but  every  thing  remains  in  the  raw 
unfledged  state  of  old  times.  No  spring  cushions, 
ottomans,  footstools,  or  other  unnecessary  necessaries 
of  modern  life,  but  here  the  strait  stiiF  chairs  are 
great-grandfathers  to  any  you  ever  sat  in  else- 
Avhere ;  the  door  is  of  sohd  iron,  the  wainscots  are 
as  unconscious  of  paint  as  when  they  came  from  the 
forest,  and  the  entrance  is  through  a  portcullis  and 
over  a  draw-bridge  rattling  on  its  chains,  quite  ready 
to  repel  an  invasion.  This  primitive  state  of  affairs  is 
more  attractive  to  visiters  than  to  the  owners,  except 
in  its  present  capacity  of  shooting  box,  and  Cawdor 
Castle  is  now  almost  entirely  deserted  for  Stackpole 
Court  and  Golden  Grove,  its  more  trimmed  and 
decorated  rivals  in  Wales.  Golden  Grove,  with  its 
richly  poetical  name,  affords  a  singular  exception  to 
the  nationality  of  the  Welsh,  as  it  was  bequeathed 
by  a  primitive  recluse  named  Vaughan,  to  the  only 
Scotch  gentleman  probably  possessing  property  in 
Wales.  Pluralities  in  estates,  as  well  as  in  livings, 
are  not  advantageous,  and  I  sometimes  wish  for 
an  act  of  Parliament,  making  it  criminal,  like  po- 
lygamy, to  keep  two  estates,  so  that  those  who  in- 


236  CAWDOR   CASTLE. 

herit  as  many,  shall  relinquish  the  one  they  like 
least  to  their  nearest  of  kin,  provided  he  settle  there 
for  life. 

The  vaulted  kitchen  at  Cawdor  Castle  is  ex- 
cavated in  solid  rock,  so  that  the  cook  lives  like  a 
toad  in  a  stone,  and  the  scullery  is  on  a  similar  plan, 
with  a  low  arched  roof,  looking  quite  like  a  natural 
cave.  How  many  millions  of  dinners  have  been 
cooked  in  that  grate,  since  the  time  when  oxen 
were  roasted  whole,  to  the  present  day,  when  they 
appear  in  fancy  dress,  and  assume  French  names ! 

We  were  shown  a  large  iron  box  which  the 
ancestor  of  Lord  Cawdor  received  when  this  castle 
was  about  to  be  built.  The  casket  is  now  empty, 
but  was  then  filled  with  gold,  destined  to  pay  the 
whole  expense  of  building,  on  the  express  condition 
that  this  treasure  should  be  placed  on  a  donkey's 
back,  when  the  animal  was  to  be  turned  loose,  with 
a  few  strokes  of  the  whip,  and  at  the  first  place 
where  he  afterwards  stood  still,  the  foundation  must 
immediately  be  laid.  Many  houses  are  so  ill  situ- 
ated, one  might  imagine  that  nothing  wiser  than  a 
donkey  had  fixed  on  the  site,  but  this  long-eared 
architect  excelled  most  "  capability  men."  He 
paused  near  the  river,  beside  a  very  fine  thorn  tree, 
and  one  of  the  rooms  has  been  built  round  the  stem, 
which  yet  stands  bare  and  rugged,  within  the  apart- 
ment, its  root  on  the  floor,  and  its  head  piercing  the 


CAWDOR    CASTLE.  237 

ceiling.  This  has  a  singular  effect,  as  if  it  had 
forced  a  way  through  the  roof;  and,  if  tradition 
speak  the  truth,  this  aged  block  of  wood  must  now 
be  at  least  six  hundred  years  of  age,  coeval  with 
the  time  of  Macbeth,  when  the  Thane  of  Caw^dor 
was  "  a  prosperous  gentleman." 

In  the  external  wall  of  Cawdor  Castle,  about 
half  way  from  the  summit,  a  thriving,  full-grown 
gooseberry  bush  has  contrived  to  take  root,  though 
we  could  not  but  wonder  where  it  found  any  nour- 
ishment or  support !  It  clings  to  the  interstices  of 
a  solid  stone  wall,  nine  feet  thick,  and  there  pro- 
duces an  ample  crop  of  gooseberries,  the  most  gen- 
uine wall-fruit  I  have  seen,  which  might  have  been 
gathered  if  we  could  have  made  a  long  arm,  to 
reach  about  ten  feet  down  from  the  nearest  window. 
Baron  Munchausen's  cherry  tree  growing  on  a  stag's 
head  was  not  much  more  surprising. 

In  this  delightful  old  castle  we  were  shown  King 
Duncan's  chain  armour.  There  are  four  houses  in 
Scotland  where  that  monarch  was  undoubtedly  mur- 
dered; Glammis  Castle,  a  blacksmith's  hut  near 
Forres,  Inverness  Castle,  now  superseded  by  the 
Jail,  and  Cawdor  Castle,  which  appears  to  me  the 
most  appropriate  scene  for  the  occasion,  being  quite 
a  ready-made  tragedy  in  itself  I  walked  slowly  up 
the  very  steps  which  lady  Macbeth  ascended,  trying 

to  feel  as  like  Mrs.  Siddons  as  possible,  but  if  A 

21 


238  CAWDOR    CASTLE. 

had  treated  us  to  one  of  Kean's  very  best  starts  in 
Macbeth,  he  would  have  precipitated  the  whole 
party  to  the  bottom  of  a  steep  spiral  staircase.  We 
reached,  at  length,  a  most  ominous  looking  door, 
very  low,  and  creaking  on  the  hinges  with  a  most 
unearthly  sound,  which  opened  into  the  fatal  apart- 
ment, where  there  is  a  vaulted  stone  roof.  I  was 
wound  up  now,  to  behold  a  scene  quite  a  la  Shak- 
speare,  but,  alas !  a  sad  disappointment  awaited  us  ! 
all  within  was  fresh,  clean,  and  new,  exhibiting  not 
so  much  as  a  grain  of  dust,  or  a  stain  of  blood,  and 
we  were  informed  that  an  accident  had  destroyed 
every  relic  of  antiquity.  In  the  chimney  of  this  old 
room,  a  colony  of  jack-daws  established  their  nests, 
which  took  fire  one  night,  when  King  Duncan's  bed 
perished,  and  the  whole  proofs  of  the  murder  were 
destroyed.  Another  bed  which  we  were  shown  in 
this  house  might  have  been  substituted,  as  it  was  the 
most  dismal  piece  of  furniture  I  ever  beheld,  with 
plumes  of  black  feathers  at  every  corner,  silver  or- 
naments and  velvet  hangings,  so  that  if  mounted  on 
wheels  like  a  hearse,  it  would  have  been  quite  fit 
for  the  undertaker. 

You  may  trace  out  half  the  history  of  Scotland 
in  this  entertaining  old  castle  !  I  wish  we  had  four 
pairs  of  eyes  at  least  to  look  about  us  with  !  We 
were  next  ushered  into  a  crevice,  which  can  scarce- 
ly be  dignified  with  the  name  of  a  closet,  where  old 


CA\\T)OR    CASTLE.  239 

Lord  Lovat,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  remained  in  con- 
cealment during  six  weeks  after  escaping  from  the 
battle  of  Culloden.  If  we  ever  have  to  flee  for  our 
lives,  I  could  not  desire  a  better  hiding-place ;  for 
though  the  English  troops  had  certain  information 
that  the  aged  peer  was  confined  in  this  veiy  house, 
they  never  succeeded  in  discovering  him !  The  en- 
trance is  most  curious  and  complicated,  for  I  stood 
on  the  leads  close  beside  the  place  without  detecting 
a  nook  in  which  so  much  as  his  wig  could  have 
been  harboured.  A  sort  of  supplementary  elevation, 
like  a  chimney,  rose  above  the  roof,  by  placing  a 
ladder  against  which  we  scrambled  to  a  narrow 
platform  and  there  saw  a  nearly  imdsible  door, 
scarcely  wider  than  the  entrance  to  a  dog  kennel. 
After  creeping  with  difficulty  into  this  aperture,  we 
found  an  apartment  under  a  pent  roof,  twice  the  size 
of  a  bathing  machine,  where  Lord  Lovat  remained, 
day  after  day,  and  week  after  week,  almost  within 
sight  of  his  own  magnificent  estates.  A  very  few 
miles  off  were  the  trees  on  w^hich  he  formerly  hanged 
so  many  of  his  ow^n  retainers,  the  halls  in  which  he 
once  executed  tyrannical  sway,  and  the  house  in 
which  both  his  amiable,  high-born  wives  successively 
wore  out  their  miserable  existences,  in  a  species  of 
rigid  imprisonment.  Early  in  life,  he  erected  a  mar- 
ble tablet  in  the  parish  church,  bearing  a  splendid 
panegyric  on  himself,  and  when  his  friend  Sir  Rob- 


240  CAWDOR    CASTLE. 

ert  Monro  remonstrated  on  the  absurdity  of  this 
"  romantic  stuff,"  he  said  that  his  clan  must  beUeve 
whatever  he  told  them.  I  wonder  he  did  not  leave 
an  equally  imaginary  portrait  of  his  countenance, 
rather  than  trust  Hogarth's  pencil,  who  found  the 
temptation  to  caricature  quite  irresistible,  and  threat- 
ened, when  Lord  Lovat  refused  to  pay  for  his  pic- 
ture, that  he  would  "  add  a  tail,  and  sell  it  for  the 
frontispiece  of  a  menagerie."  It  is  surprising  he 
did  not  burn  the  painting  at  last,  but  he  stands 
recorded,  at  his  own  request. 

To  future  times  a  libel  and  a  jest. 

Had  Lord  Lovat  been  staunch  to  either  side,  our 
sympathy  would  have  been  greater,  but  a  prospec- 
tive patent,  creating  him  Duke  of  Fraser,  nailed  the 
weathercock  of  his  opinions ;  and  such  patents  are 
often  the  best  remedy  for  the  hot  and  cold  fits  of  a 
politician,  who  "  foams  a  patriot  to  subside  a  peer." 

We  gazed  over  the  wall  upwards  of  sixty  feet 
high,  where  Lord  Lovat,  wrapped  in  blankets,  was 
let  down  by  ropes,  at  last,  to  make  his  escape ;  and 
I  became  perfectly  giddy  when  fancying  the  poor 
old  peer,  accustomed  to  his  easy  chair  by  the  fireside, 
and  his  newspaper,  thus  launched  into  the  air,  like 
a  spider  on  a  thread,  and  swinging  about  in  the  wind. 

All  true  Highlanders  must  lament,  that  a  Fraser, 
one  of  the  clan,  incurred  the  disgrace  of  betraying 


CAWDOR    CASTLE.  241 

his  chief,  who  w^as  traced  to  a  large  tree  on  his  own 
property,  and  yielded  himself  up,  saying,  "  It  is  not 
your  cleverness  that  has  caught  me  now,  but  four- 
score and  four." 

When  death  became  inevitable  he  encountered 
it  with  extraordinary  hardihood ;  and  the  fall  of  a 
scaffold  having  killed  several  spectators,  at  the  very 
moment  of  his  execution,  he  turned  round,  saying, 
"  Aye  !  the  mair  mischief  the  better  sport !" 

The  ancestors  at  Cawdor  Castle  evidently  did  not 
sit  to  the  best  artists.  They  seem  to  have  worn 
armour  and  full-bottomed  wigs  like  other  people, 
and  though  we  could  not  quite  distinguish  the  ladies 
from  the  gentlemen,  they  all  have  the  usual  allow- 
ance of  eyes  and  noses,  yet,  in  respect  to  their  beau- 
ty, least  said  is  perhaps  soonest  mended,  but  some 
of  them  were  most  ineffable  looking.  In  ancient 
times,  heiresses  were  obliged  occasionally  to  make 
very  unexpected  journeys  ;  and  here  Muriella  Cal- 
der,  who  inherited  C alder,  now  Cawdor  Castle,  was 
carried  off  in  1510,  without  being  much  consulted 
on  the  subject,  by  the  Campbells,  and  married  to  the 
Earl  of  Argyle's  second  son.  His  coat-of-arms  and 
initials  are  placed  over  the  entrance,  and  magnifi- 
cently emblazoned  also  on  a  curious  antique  chimney- 
piece.  A  more  recent  transaction  of  this  kind  did 
not  end  quite  so  w^ell.  A  brother  of  the  first  Duke 
of  Argyll  carried  off  an  English  heiress,  Miss  Whar- 
21* 


242  KILRAVOCK. 

ton,  but  the  marriage  was  immediately  dissolved. 
The  culprit  himself  escaped  any  severer  penalty,  but 
Sir  John  Johnston,  who  had  assisted  in  the  frolic, 
was  hanged. 

One  ancestor,  wearing  a  Nova  Scotia  ribbon, 
whose  portrait  w^as  introduced  to  us,  seems  to  have 
been  a  perfect  Samson.  An  iron  gate  is  shown, 
with  bars  fit  for  Newgate,  which  tradition  assures 
us,  upon  its  veracity,  that  this  gentleman  carried  on 
his  back  fifteen  miles !  The  worthy  housekeeper 
believes  with  all  her  might,  as  in  duty  bound,  but  I 
should  like  to  have  seen  it  done. 

One  room  here  is  hung  entirely  round  with  ta- 
pestry about  two  hundred  years  old,  said  to  be  the 
work  of  Lady  Henrietta  Stewart's  own  individual 
needle,  but  she  could  as  easily  have  carried  the  iron 
gate,  as  manufactured  all  we  saw,  in  which  she  was 
of  course  assisted  by  a  phalanx  of  maids.  The  wall 
behind  these  hangings  is  not  even  plastered,  but  this 
fine  old  tapestry  grates  against  a  rough  stone  wall, 
being  hung  up,  as  children  wear  their  pinafores,  to 
conceal  defects ;  and  now,  having  explored  as  care- 
fully, from  the  kitchen  to  the  sky-lights,  as  if  the 
house  were  to  be  let  furnished,  "  seen  Tuesdays, 
Thursdays,  and  Saturdays,"  we  took  leave  of  our 
worthy  old  cicerone  with  the  customaiy  ceremony, 
as  housekeepers  must  all  have  their  hands  crossed 
with  silver  or   gold,  like  gypsies,  which  I  would 


KILRAVOCK.  243 

much  rather  do  to  hear  stories  of  the  past,  than 
prophecies  of  the  future. 

On  our  way  home  we  drove  through  the  charm- 
ing grounds  of  Kih^avock,  a  place  which  has  been 
possessed  these  700  years  by  a  succession,  from  fa- 
ther to  son,  of  upwards  of  twenty  proprietors,  who, 
w^ith  one  exception,  were  all  named  "  Hugh  Rose,'* 
or,  according  to  the  ancient  spelling,  Roos,  which 
sounds  more  distinguished  than  the  mere  cottage 
designation  of  a  short-lived  flower.  At  Kilravock 
the  lawn  is  cut  into  beds  of  brilliant  shrubs,  en- 
closed by  picturesque  palings  of  rough  stakes, 
interspersed  with  creepers,  while  some  of  the  plants 
are  growing  in  baskets  raised  five  feet  from  the 
ground,  for  the  benefit  of  loungers  too  lazy  to  stoop 
when  they  pick  a  nosegay. 

We  wished  to  examine  the  old  square  tower  of 
Kilravock,  which  seems  cast  in  the  same  mould  as 
that  of  Cawdor  Castle,  and  belonged  to  a  family  of 
still  greater  importance,  who  were  Barons;  for 
though  Shakspeare  has  magnified  the  importance  of 
the  Thane  of  Cawdor,  and  gives  the  j^as  to  Thanes, 
that  is  quite  a  mistake  in  respect  both  to  the  impor- 
tance and  the  precedency  of  the  title.  When  we 
requested  admittance  to  an  old  hall  hung  with  an- 
cient armour,  the  powdered  footman  looked  as  much 
astonished  and  perplexed,  as  if  we  had  asked  to  see 
a  residence  in  Portman  Square  or  St.  James'  Street, 


244  KILRAVOCK. 

and  protested  there  was  actually  nothing  to  see. 
Though  the  tower  looked  as  high,  grand,  and  dis- 
mal as  that  in  Blue-Beard's  Castle,  from  which 
"  Anne,  sister  Anne,"  could  see  nobody  coming,  yet, 
upon  his  credible  testimony,  we  unwillingly  gave 
up  the  point,  and  threw  Kilravock  to  the  winds, 
"  but,  if  the  winds  won't  have  it,  to  the  waves," 
rather  grudging  the  time  and  trouble  wasted  on  a 
vain  attempt.  I  should  like  to  occupy  my  moments 
as  conscientiously  as  the  celebrated  Wesley,  who 
never  allowed  himself  to  pass  a  minute  unemployed, 
and  when  detained  once  at  a  door  for  ten  minutes, 
as  we  w^ere  at  Kilravock,  was  heard  to  exclaim,  in 
a   tone  of  regret,   "  I   have   lost   ten  minutes   for 


Moment  by  moment,  years  are  past. 
And  one  ere  long  will  be  our  last. 


STRATHGLASS. 


As  I  walk'd  by  myself, 
I  talk'd  to  myself, 

And  thus  myself  said  to  me. 

My  DEAR  Cousin, — If  you  value  us,  as  Desdemona 
did  her  lover,  by  the  dangers  we  have  passed,  I  flat- 
ter myself  we  shall  increase  in  your  estimation  daily 
during  our  Highland  adventures.  At  all  events, 
neither  you  nor  I,  while  we  both  live,  can  ever  be 
in  the  disconsolate  state  of  a  lady,  who  once  com- 
plained she  was  so  little  cared  for  in  the  world,  that 
if  it  were  the  fashion  to  burn  her,  she  had  scarcely 
a  friend  on  earth  who  could  refrain  from  throwing 
in  a  faggot ! 

This  morning  we  made  a  flight  through  the 
birch-clad  glen  of  Strathglass  to  take  a  glimpse  of 
Erchless  Castle,  belonging  to  the  descendants  of 
that  old  chief  who  said  there  were  but  three  persons 
in  the  world  entitled  to  be  called  "  The," — the  King, 
the  Pope,  and  the  Chisholm. 

This  place  is  beauty  personified,  and  you  would 
fall  in  love  with  it  at  first  sight.  The  Castle  is  a 
venerable  white- washed  old  tower,  so  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  a  wreath  of  hills,  that  the  glen  seem*^ 
scooped  out  on  purpose  to  hold  the  house  and  park. 


246  STRATHGLASS. 

Here  all  was  verdant  and  bright,  like  the  happy- 
valley  of  Rasselas,  and  you  might  have  imagined 
for  a  moment  that  nothing  but  joy  and  peace  could 
be  there ;  yet  our  minds  were  filled  with  the  sad 
remembrance,  how  recently  the  young,  talented,  and 
singularly  amiable  proprietor  had  sunk  into  the  grave, 
deeply  and  deservedly  lamented  by  his  family,  his 
tenantry,  and  the  county  he  represented. 

We  proceeded,  with  respectful  sympathy,  to  visit 
a  romantic  spot  in  which  the  Chisholm  desired  to  be 
buried,  and  to  which  his  remains  were  conducted  by 
so  great  a  concourse  of  friends  and  clansmen,  that 
the  procession,  in  close  phalanx,  covered  two  miles 
along  the  highroad.  The  grave  is  placed  on  the 
summit  of  a  high  conical  hill,  like  a  Druid's  cairn, 
surrounded  by  massy  old  fir-trees;  and  one  fresh 
young  larch  stands  conspicuously  in  advance,  which 
he  planted  himself,  and  beside  which,  in  the  near 
prospect  of  death,  he  frequently  sat  for  hours,  read- 
ing those  promises  of  eternity  which  reconciled  him 
to  the  early  termination  of  his  fleeting  moments  on 
earth. 

"That  life  is  long,  which  answers  life's  great  end." 
A  paling  of  rough  stakes  encloses  the  sacred  spot 
where  he  is  laid,  a  large  green  turf,  like  an  emerald, 
covers  the  tomb,  and  a  small  rustic  seat,  the  only 
ornament  of  the  place,  stands  at  the  foot  of^the 
grave. 


STRATHGLASS.  247 

Besides  building  many  farm-houses  and  cottages, 
the  Chisholm  raised  a  church  on  the  estate,  entirely 
at  his  own  expense;  and  our  guide  informed  us, 
that  the  editor  of  the  Inverness  Herald  frequently 
preached  there,  and  gave  an  excellent  sermon, 
though  I  should  fancy  it  must  have  been  difficult 
for  him  to  resist  an  occasional  touch  on  politics,  and 
substituting  a  leading  article  for  one  head  of  his 
discourse.  Lord  Lovat  built  an  opposition  Roman 
Catholic  Chapel  on  the  other  side  of  Strathglass ; 
and,  in  considering  the  zeal  of  both  parties,  and  the 
rapid  progress  of  Popery  in  this  neighbourhood,  I 
could  not  but  think  how  soon  our  own  Protestant 
countrymen  may  be  circumstanced  like  those  of 
former  days  in  the  valleys  of  Switzerland.  A  tone 
of  false  "  liberality"  is  now  in  fashion  respecting  re- 
ligious faith  and  doctrine,  but  the  time  may  not  be 
distant,  when  every  true  Christian  must  cling  to  his 
creed  with  tenacious  firmness,  remembering  that  our 
Saviour's  own  admonition  was,  to  be  "  first  pure, 
then  peaceable;"  and  knowing  that,  since  a  be- 
liever can  alter  no  single  declaration  of  the  gospel, 
he  can  exercise  no  liberality  of  his  own,  but  must 
seek  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  interpret 
every  text  aright,  and  then  faithfully  profess  what 
he  has  been  taught,  "  Not  shunning  to  declare  the 
whole  counsel  of  God,"  and  not,  like  Pilate,  asking 
"  wtat  is  truth  ?"  without  w^aiting  for  any  answer. 


248  STRATHGLASS. 

We  were  told  that  the  Roman  CathoUc  priests, 
who  wish  pater-nosters,  ave~Marias,  crossings, 
sprinkUngs,  and  genuflexions  to  supply  the  place  of 
truth,  holiness,  and  sincerity,  openly  rejoiced  at  the 
removal  of  a  Protestant  so  exemplary  and  influen- 
tial as  the  Chisholm,  w^ho  had  exhibited  a  degree  of 
character  and  energy  at  an  early  age,  which  caused 
him  to  be  already  regarded  with  a  reverence  gen- 
erally reserved  for  the  old.  During  our  visit  to  In- 
verness, it  w^as  still  remembered  in  the  Caledonian 
Hotel,  that  when  he  resided  for  several  months 
there,  his  own  servants,  and  nearly  the  w^hole  house- 
hold, were  assembled  in  his  room  every  morning 
and  evening  to  prayers,  when  many  of  the  visiters 
asked  leave  to  attend,  and  thought  it  a  privilege  to 
hear  the  words  of  faith  and  hope  from  one  who  al- 
ready knew  how  soon  his  faith  would  be  swallowed 
up  in  sight,  and  his  hope  in  enjoyment. 

I  cannot  but  think  that  the  time  is  happily  now 
in  a  great  degiee  passed,  when  the  world's  loud 
laugh,  its  scorn,  and  its  hatred,  would  be  excited,  by 
a  character  living  in  a  nation  of  professing  Chris- 
tians like  ours,  and  truly  raised  above  the  sorrows, 
temptations,  and  vanities  of  this  fleeting  scene. 
When  Dr.  Blair  preached  his  celebrated  sermon, 
declaring  that  if  perfect  virtue  were  exhibited  on 
earth,  all  men  would  fall  down  and  worship  it,  his 
colleague  Dr.  Walker  replied  to  him  next  Sunday 


STRATHGLASS*  249 

from  the  pulpit,  that  such  a  character  had  once  ap* 
peared  in  the  world,  and  only  once,  not  to  be  wor- 
shipped and  admired,  but  to  be  crucified  and  slain. 
This  country  is,  however,  now  brought  nominally  un- 
der the  yoke  of  Christ.  Almost  every  individual  ac- 
knowledges our  Di\dne  Redeemer  as  the  Master  he 
ought  to  serve, — those  who  live  in  the  neglect  of 
their  Bibles  have  a  painful  consciousness  of  guilt  and 
danger;  and  while  there  is  no  question  in  society  as 
to  the  authority  of  Holy  Scripture,  the  only  differ- 
ence of  opinion  relates  to  the  manner  and  degree  of 
obedience.  The  society  in  w^hich  we  live  is  formed 
not  of  unbelievers,  such  as  those  among  whom 
Christ  personally  descended,  to  set  aside  their  old 
tenets,  and  to  implant  a  new  and  better  dispensa- 
tion, but  of  his  ostensible  adherents,  varying  in 
character,  faithful  or  lukewarm,  like  the  disciples 
in  Ephesus,  Smyrna,  and  all  the  seven  churches 
of  Asia,  but  still  ranged  under  one  banner,  and 
professing  one  allegiance.  Those  who  study  life 
among  men,  rather  than  among  books,  must  be 
aware,  that,  in  the  present  day,  fashion,  if  not  feel- 
ing, is  all  in  favour  of  external  devotion.  God 
alone  knoweth  the  heart;  but  even  amons:  those 
most  seeking  the  world's  applause,  it  must  be  obvi- 
ous that  no  individual  now  ranks  higher  in  the  es- 
teem, or  rather  in  the  reverence  of  cultivated  society, 
than  a  consistent,  strict,  and  judicious  Clnistian. 
22 


250  STRATHGLASS. 

Religion  is  not  answerable  for  the  weaknesses,  de- 
fects, and  follies  of  her  votaries,  many  of  whom 
bring  discredit  on  her  cause  by  blemishes  in  their 
own  natural  disposition  and  conduct,  which  a  more 
enlightened  piety  would  teach  them  to  correct. 
The  invisible  strings  of  an  instrument,  when  rightly 
tuned,  produce  the  harmony  which  dehghts  us; 
and  where  the  inward  and  spiritual  grace  is  testified 
by  a  conduct  and  conversation  really  becoming  the 
gospel,  a  majority  in  our  own  country  will  bear  tes- 
timony to  its  excellence  and  beauty.  Religion  has 
been  said  to  consist  in  "  imitating  Him  whom  we 
adore,"  and  it  may  be  lamented  how  harsh  and  de- 
fective the  imitation  too  often  is,  exhibiting  as 
much  disparity  in  style  and  success,  as  the  painters 
who  have  attempted  to  represent  our  Divine  Sa- 
viour's personal  appearance  when  on  earth,  some 
being  hard,  or  exaggerated,  while  others  have  the 
grace,  dignity,  and  attractiveness  which  Raphael 
has  communicated  to  his  portraits.  Some  Christians 
I  have  known,  whose  devotions  in  the  closet  were 
followed  by  such  conduct  as  could  stand  the  strictest 
of  all  scrutiny — that  of  their  own  domestic  circle — 
who,  pursuing  the  even  tenor  of  their  way  in  sim- 
plicity and  godly  sincerity,  persevered  in  a  total  non- 
conformity to  customs  and  habits  irreconcilable  with 
their  high  calling,  and  were  yet  so  amiable  at  home, 
so  deeply  fervent  in  prayer  for  others,  and  so  con- 


STRATHGLASS.  251 

ciliatory  to  all  without  exception,  that  those  even 
least  ready  to  follow  their  example  could  not  mth- 
hold  their  respect.  A  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ 
may  inevitably  be  associated  w^th  others  careless 
and  criminal  in  their  neglect  of  sacred  duties,  who 
will  seek  to  beguile  him  from  his  steadfastness,  but, 
once  proved  to  be  firm  in  obeying  the  Master  whom 
they  all  profess  to  serve,  none  of  that  hatred  and 
ridicule  are  excited  which  formerly  beset  the  foot- 
steps of  all  who  pursued  the  narrow  path  of  Chris- 
tian duty,  but  rather  a  latent  belief  arises,  that  the 
man  of  God  has  chosen  the  better  part,  and  a  desire 
is  felt  at  some  distant  period  to  do  likewise.  If 
Christians  are  reproached,  they  should  take  care 
that  it  be  only  for  something  in  which  they  really 
do  resemble  Christ,  and  if  they  are  persecuted,  that 
it  is  indeed  for  "righteousness' sake;"  but  too  often 
when  professing  to  follow  a  very  high  standard, 
they  cast  a  slur  upon  religion  by  failing  most  lamen- 
tably in  the  minor  morals  of  their  own  peculiar  sta- 
tion, and  neglect  to  exhibit  the  mere  shadow  of 
goodness,  because  gifted  with  the  substance.  I 
have  sometimes  been  astonished  to  perceive  in  those 
who  intended  to  be  followers  of  our  blessed  Saviour's 
example,  a  most  unsuitable  want  of  consideration 
for  the  feelings  of  others,  and  of  attention  to  trifling 
duties,  such  as  cheerful  contentment  under  every  cir- 
cumstance, personal  neatness,  moderation  in  eating, 


252  STRATHGLASS, 

careful  expenditure  of  time,  charitable  blindness  to 
the  faults  of  others,  and  pity  for  the  sorrows  of  their 
neighbours,  which  rendered  them  obvious  to  the 
criticisms  of  those  who  neglect  many  higher  objects, 
but  to  whom  those  external  amiabilities,  which  no 
one  should  neglect,  are  almost  an  entire  code  of 
duty.  We  might  sometimes  smile,  were  it  not  so 
melancholy,  to  see  how  ingeniously  religion  can  be 
made  a  cloak  to  conceal  from  people  themselves 
that  they  are  influenced  by  evil  feehngs,  which,  in 
their  naked  reality,  would  be  disowned  and  abhorred. 
If  a  Christian  whose  nature  tends  to  en\y,  sees  his 
neighbour's  family  suffering  under  some  great  cala- 
mity, how  apt  is  he  to  remark,  "Ah !  they  have  had 
a  long  course  of  prosperity,  and  needed  something 
of  this  kind  to  admonish  them  !"  A  Christian  be- 
coming indolent  and  careless  about  the  essential 
doctrines  of  religion,  professes  "  liberality,"  and 
scarcely  seems  as  if  he  preferred  one  church  to  an- 
other ;  those  of  an  opposite  class,  having  formed  a 
code  of  opinions  for  themselves,  think  they  are  per- 
secuted by  all  who  merely  differ  from  them,  and 
consider  every  man  obstinately  blind,  and  deservedly 
condemned,  who  does  not  agree  to  their  views  in 
every  particular.  Christians  not  formed  for  society, 
profess  to  think  no  one  of  more  sociable  habits  can 
be  genuinely  pious,  and  retire  to  solitude  in  fancied 
security,  forgetful  how  many  are  hermits  by  nature 


ERCHLESS   CASTLE.  253 

and  inclination,  with  no  higher  motive  than  natural 
taste,  and  they  thus  lose  that  discipline  of  the  mind 
and  heart  which  men  are  placed  in  contact  with 
others  on  purpose  to  receive;  and  a  Christian  au- 
thor, publishing  some  heavy  volume  which  obtains 
little  circulation,  nourishes  his  vanity,  by  telling 
himself  how  few  are  capable  of  appreciating  him, — 
that  more  popular  works  become  so  by  conforming 
in  a  considerable  degree  to  general  opinions, — and 
that  "the  world  will  love  its  own."  When  we  con- 
template what  Christians  have  occasionally  been, 
and  what  they  ought  awlays  to  be,  it  is  lamentable 
that  those  blessed  with  the  peculiar  gifts  of  Chris- 
tian character  should  neglect  its  decorations, — that 
the  fruit  and  flowers  should  seem  deficient  when 
the  root  and  branches  are  sound, — that  the  diamond, 
with  all  its  intrinsic  worth,  fails  to  shine  before  men 
who  would  be  ready  to  recognise  and  value  it,  but 
for  the  want  of  exterior  polish. 

Our  guide  through  the  grounds  of  Erchless  Cas- 
tle informed  me  that,  in  a  thatched  hut  nearly  half 
a  mile  distant,  lived  a  very  aged  and  infirm  Roman 
Catholic  priest,  who  has  made  a  practice  during 
several  years  past  of  being  wheeled  in  an  arm 
chair  to  the  road  side,  where  he  used  to  read  per- 
petually, but  his  eye-sight  being  now  impaired,  he 
lives  upon  the  gossip  and  small  talk  of  the  high- 
way, and  watches  eagerly  for  any  chance  passen-« 
22* 


254  ERCHLESS   CASTLE, 

gers  to  converse  with,  though,  living,  as  he  does, 
half-way  up  a  glen  which  leads  to  nothing,  he  must 
often  experience  the  meaning  of  "  hope  deferred." 
Nothing  comes  amiss  to  old  "  Father  Philip  "  in  the 
way  of  news,  either  public  or  private,  and  our  cice- 
rone departed,  strongly  recommending  us  to  visit 
this  eccentric  character,  "  who  hears  all  that  hap- 
pens from  Spey  to  the  Orkneys."  He  seemed  un- 
questionably one  of  the  natural  curiosities  in  this 
district,  therefore  we  resolved  to  hold  a  conference 
at  his  levee,  which  turned  out  marvellously  enter- 
taining. You  never  saw  so  much  dignity  maintained 
on  means  apparently  so  inadequate,  for,  though  the 
dress  of  Father  Philip  be  of  the  poorest  description, 
and  his  whole  person  is  swollen  with  dropsy,  yet 
the  Pope  himself  need  scarcely  have  been  ashamed 
to  see  his  representative.  When  we  approached, 
his  whole  countenance  lighted  up  with  pleasure  at 
catching  a  fresh  haul  of  visiters ;  he  bowed,  shook 
hands,  and  attempted  to  offer  me  his  easy  chair,  but 
failed  in  his  endeavour  to  rise,  while  I  entreated  him 
to  desist,  and  greatly  preferred  one  of  the  large 
stones,  several  of  which  are  placed  in  a  circle 
around  him  for  visiters.  He  began  the  interview 
by  inquiring  whether  we  preferred  whiskey  or  milk 
for  our  refreshment,  and  after  the  produce  of  his 
dairy  had  been  duly  produced,  he  asked,  in  a  cour- 
teous tone,  a  perfect  torrent  of  questions  about  every 


BEAULY.  255 

thing  and  every  body,  especially  with  a  view  to  find 

out  who  we  were,  which  A ,  to  the  best  of  his 

ability,  explained. 

Father  Philip  has  long,  to  use  our  Scottish 
phraseology,  "enjoyed"  very  bad  health,  and  is, 
moreover,  quite  superannuated.  I  often  wish  a  re- 
tiring pension  were  provided  for  aged  clergymen  of 
our  persuasion,  as  well  as  for  half-pay  officers,  though 
there  would  be  many  perhaps  as  unwilling  to  relax 
in  their  pastoral  labours  as  the  venerable  Arnold, 
who  replied,  when  his  friends  represented  that  his 
years  and  infirmities  required  more  rest,  "  No  !  I  shall 
soon  have  all  eternity  to  rest  in  !" 

Proceeding  from  Erchless  Castle  towards  Beau- 
ly,  through  the  most  charming  glen  scenery  in  the 
world,  we  lamented  over  several  thousand  maornifi- 
cent  birch  trees  already  laid  prostrate  for  railroads, 
and  two  thousand  more  marked  for  a  similar  fate, 
and  weeping  in  anticipation  of  their  fall.  I  am  sure 
we  acted  as  chief  mourners  on  the  occasion. 

About  three  miles  from  Beauly,  we  passed  an 
extremely  romantic  cottage,  with  an  extremely  ro- 
mantic history.  It  was  built  on  a  small  island  five 
years  ago,  by  the  descendant  of  Simon  Lord  Lovat, 
for  the  alleged  descendants  of  Prince  Charles,  two 
very  accomplished  gentlemen,  who  have  never  dis- 
tinctly stated  their  claim,  but  are  much  esteemed  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  received  at  some  houses 


256  BEAULY. 

^\dth  almost  royal  honours.  We  saw  them  for  a 
moment  near  their  own  gate,  both  accoutred  in 
splendid  Highland  costume,  precisely  copied  from 
portraits  of  "  The  Young  Chevalier,"  with  the  white 
cockade  mounted  on  their  bonnets,  their  plaids  flying, 
and  feathers  waving  in  the  breeze,  and  certainly 
the  resemblance  is  striking,  but  farther  than  this  the 
deponent  saith  not.  The  family  of  Lovat,  unable 
to  bestow  the  whole  island  of  Great  Britain,  accord- 
ing to  their  inclinations,  have  succeeded  ar  least  in 
providing  an  island  situated  in  "  The  Dream,"  where 
any  one  they  please  may  be  privileged  to  exclaim, 

"  I  am  monarch  of  all  I  survey, 
My  right  there  is  none  to  dispute." 

The  river  dashes  vehemently  round  this  charm- 
ing green  isle,  which  rises  abruptly  out  of  the  wa- 
ter, crowned  with  trees,  and  surrounded  by  curious 
pyramids  of  rock,  like  conglomerated  gravel,  wash- 
ed by  the  tumultuous  stream  into  a  hundred  fantas- 
tic shapes,  resembling  turrets,  steeples,  castles,  and 
even  trees  of  stone.  The  cottage  looks  as  if  its 
walls  had  been  covered  with  a  border  plaid,  as  the 
dark  grey  stones  are  checked  with  stripes  of  white 
cement — a  ferry-boat  was  moored  on  one  side  of  the 
island,  and  a  rustic  bridge,  extremely  unsafe  looking, 
hung  on  the  other,  while  the  whole  scene  was  hem- 
med in  by  a  circle  of  such  magnificent  wooded  hills 
as  might  make  the  fortune  of  any  ordinary  place. 


BEAULY.  257 

The  falls  of  Beauly,  or  more  properly  Beaulieu,  are 
like  a  cascade  of  silver  churned  into  foam,  and  fret- 
ted into  appearing  as  white  as  a  sheet,  among  the 
iron-looking  rocks.  The  best  view  is  from  a  gar- 
den near  the  road,  belonging  to  the  parish  clergy- 
man ;  but  if  his  "  vineyard"  be  no  better  cared  for 
than  his  garden,  I  should  be  sorry  for  the  parishion- 
ers. This  ought  to  be  one  of  the  loveliest  spots 
upon  earth,  but  is  now  such  a  mere  bear-garden  of 
weeds,  I  felt  much  inclined  to  take  up  a  hoe  myself. 

We  admired  Lord  Lovat's  beautiful  park  and 
grounds,  though  rather  at  a  loss  to  guess  why  his  cot- 
tage-looking house  was  ever  dignified  with  the  name 
of  Beaufort  Castle,  not  being  more  like  our  idea  of 
a  castle  than  a  pistol  is  to  a  cannon.  Near  this, 
1200  acres  of  forest  have  been  planted  in  two  years, 
which  compensates  in  some  degree  for  thousands 
having  been  wrenched  out  of  the  Drhuim  at  one 
fell  swoop. 

I  would  subscribe  something  to  get  the  ancient 
ruin  of  Beauly  Priory  cleaned  out  and  made  tidy, 
for  you  never  witnessed  a  more  disorderly  scene  of 
desolation.  Probably  eveiy  grain  of  dust  in  this 
old  cemetery  once  formed  part  of  a  human  frame, 
but  now,  open  stone  coffins,  human  bones,  long  spi- 
ry  grass,  nettles  and  tomb-stones,  are  all  miscella- 
neously heaped  together,  and  when  I  saw  the  orna- 
mented tablets  which  had  formerly  been  meant  to 
express   the   dignity  and  worth  of  those  who  lay 


258  BEAULY. 

scattered  around,  I  could  not  but  think  of  the  tears 
that  must  have  fallen  when  those  graves  were  closed, 
and  of  the  many  hopes  and  fears,  and  joys  and  sor- 
rows like  our  own,  which  once  filled  the  heads  and 
hearts  of  the  silent,  neglected  dead,  sleeping  uncon- 
sciously at  our  feet;  but  how  transient  is  the  honour 
given  by  man,  even  when  carved  on  stone !  We 
waste  much  sympathy  on  the  departed  in  such  a 
scene,  for  to  them  the  body  is  of  no  more  importance 
than  the  mantle  of  Elijah  after  he  ascended  to 
heaven;  but  yet  for  our  own  sakes,  if  men  wish 
hereafter  to  be  laid  at  rest  in  decency  and  peace, 
they  should  respect  the  sanctuary  of  others,  even 
though  their  name  and  kindred  be  forgotten,  for 
there  is  not  an  emotion  or  an  affection  can  live  in 
the  heart  of  any  living  man,  that  the  dead  in  their 
time  have  not  also  shared. 

Nothing  proves  how  little  the  beauties  of  Scot- 
land are  explored  more  obviously  than  the  entire 
want  of  horses,  accommodation,  or  comfort  of  any 
kind  in  a  village  like  Beauly,  the  great  thorough- 
fare to  much  of  our  finest  scenery.  The  inn  is 
little  better  than  an  ale-house,  with  no  "  entertain- 
ment" that  we  could  see,  fit  for  either  man  or  horse. 
Swarms  of  pedestrians  were  hastening  along  the  high 
road,  to  attend  a  Thursday  sermon  before  the  Sacra- 
ment in  some  distant  parish,  all  so  gayly  dressed,  that 
we  conjectured  they  must  be  going  to  a  wedding; 
and  the  crowds  which  usually  congregate  on  such 


KILLICHRIST  CHURCH.  259 

occasions  have  become  so  serious  an  inconvenience 
to  the  clergy,  that  they  have  decided  in  many  dis- 
tricts that  this  ordinance  shall  be  held  everywhere 
on  the  same  day,  to  prevent  strangers  from  trans- 
forming the  most  sacred  of  all  earthly  duties  into  a 
scene  of  mere  lounging  and  gossip.  In  the  High- 
lands many  servants  make  a  stipulation,  when  en- 
gaged, that  they  shall  be  allowed,  in  every  neigh- 
bouring parish,  regularly  to  attend  "The  Preach- 
ings," and  the  country  milliners  all  hasten  down 
with  patterns  of  their  newest  bonnets  and  caps  for 
that  occasion. 

Three  miles  from  Beauly  we  entered  the  ruins 
of  Killichrist  Church,  where,  on  account  of  family 
feuds,  a  whole  congregation  of  the  clan  Mackenzie 
was  burned  alive  by  the  Macdonells  of  Glengarry, 
during  which  a  piper  paraded  round  the  church, 
performing  an  extemporary  tune,  still  used  as  Glen- 
garry's pibroch.  Men,  women,  and  children  were 
thrust  back  with  spears  when  they  attempted  to 
escape  from  the  flames ;  and  one  young  woman, 
who  had  claimed  protection  and  gained  her  liberty 
on  account  of  being  a  Macdonell,  was  thrown  back 
into  the  general  conflagration,  when  it  was  dis- 
covered that  she  was  married  to  a  Mackenzie. 
Many  bones  of  these  miserable  victims  are  still  visi- 
ble, whitening  in  the  sun,  sad  memorials  of  this 
wholesale  massacre  ;  yet  the  woman  who  lived  close 
beside  this  church,  and  accompanied  us  round  the 


260  BRAHAN   CASTLE. 

bare  and  blackened  walls,  seemed  to  know  little, 
and  to  care  still  less,  about  so  old  a  story.  If  we 
had  inquired  about  the  smoking  of  a  bee-hive,  she 
could  scarcely  have  expressed  more  indifference,  but 
it  is  curious,  that  the  greater  the  number  of  sufferers 
on  any  occasion,  the  smaller  is  the  sympathy  exci- 
ted by  their  fate. 

Tourists  fancy  they  have  seen  all  the  beauties  of 
Scotland  after  reaching  Inverness  ;  but  there  never 
was  a  greater  mistake,  as  the  picture-gallery  of 
landscapes  becomes  more  romantic  every  mile  you 
advance.  The  whole  road  by  Beauly  to  Dingwall 
presents  a  succession  of  charming  palaces  and  mag- 
nificent scenery.  Brahan  Castle  belonged  to  a  real 
aboriginal  chieftain,  and  is  worthy  of  the  ancient 
Seaforth  dynasty,  being  a  massy  old  edifice  of  hand- 
some exterior,  though  miited  to  a  better-half  of  very 
disproportioned  age  and  unsuitable  appearance, — 
the  one  being  venerable  with  declining  years,  the 
other  very  plain  and  exceedingly  juvenile.  In  a 
landscape,  the  rarest  of  all  ornaments  are  handsome 
well-grown  oaks,  such  as  we  admired  here  in  rich 
profusion,  not  mere  brushwood,  but  positive  timber, 
fit  to  build  a  seventy-four,  and  such  as  Richmond 
Park  might  be  proud  of.  It  extends  over  two  or 
three  miles  of  park,  the  ground  rising  in  charming 
terraces  from  the  river  Connan  to  the  summit  of  the 
crested  hills,  which  form  a  magnificent  climax. 

Here,  in  full  Highland  garb,  we  saw  a  fine  spir- 


BRAHAN   CASTLE.  261 

ited  portrait  by  Raeburn,  of  the  late  Lord  Seaforth, 
the  last  chief  of  that  ancient  line.  A  Ross-shire 
gentleman  repeated  to  me  the  prophecy  of  Thomas 
the  Rhymer  concerning  that  family,  known  in  the 
comitry  a  century  before  its  melancholy  fulfilment, 
and  besides  other  well-known  domestic  circum- 
stances, the  premature  death  of  Lord  Seaforth's  two 
very  talented  and  accomplished  sons  was  foretold, 
and  that  "  a  dark  lady  from  the  east  should  come  to 
inherit  this  estate."  A  most  dismal  portrait  was 
shown  us,  representing  the  wife  of  the  fugitive  Lord 
Seaforth,  who  looks  as  if  she  had  never  known  a 
cheerful  moment,  and  as  if  the  sun  itself  had  never 
shone  upon  her.  Her  dress  is  black,  the  frame  is 
black,  and  I  almost  wondered  how  she  happened  to 
sit  in  so  melancholy  a  mood  at  all.  The  whole 
room  is  enlivened  by  a  showily-dressed  likeness  of 
George  the  Third,  whose  portraits  are  generally  in 
a  blaze  of  white,  ermine  fur,  powdered  hair,  his  foot 
on  a  footstool,  and  his  profile  as  distinctly  marked 
as  on  the  coinage.  Nothing  is  so  unbecoming  as  a 
portrait  in  profile,  it  looks  so  hard  and  sharp. 

Cardinal  Richelieu's  picture  and  the  Duchess  of 
Cleveland's,  form  an  amiable  pair  in  the  library,  and 
she  is  accompanied  by  a  little  fashionable-looking 
dog.  Even  in  these  old  times,  the  canine  madness 
prevailed  of  idolizing  dogs,  though  not  perhaps  car- 
ried to  the  excess  we  now  see,  when  some  pet-dogs 

in  London  have  printed  visiting  cards,  which  they 
23 


262  BRAHAN    CASTLE. 

leave  along  with  those  of  the  lady  who  belongs  to 
them.  A  distinguished  authoress  lately,  of  perfectly 
sane  mind,  and  in  possession  of  all  her  senses,  wrote 
a  letter  to  her  Blenheim  spaniel,  with  advice  about 
his  diet  and  conduct  during  their  temporary  separa- 
tion, and  another  equally  celebrated  writer,  being 
in  a  house  which  was  suddenly  in  danger  of  falling, 
left  her  friends  to  take  care  of  themselves,  but 
snatched  up  her  dog  and  her  manuscripts  to  hurry 
them  out  of  danp;er.  When  Eneas  carried  his  father 
out  of  Troy,  he  was  not  probably  a  dog-fancier. 

Travellers  have  expressed  their  surprise  at  find- 
ing so  few  great  public  libraries  in  this  country, 
compared  with  the  continent;  but  in  private  houses 
they  would  be  equally  astonished  at  their  number 
and  magnificence.  The  collection  of  books  is  nearly 
as  good  a  test  of  family  antiquity  as  the  collection 
of  portraits,  while  the  one  may  be  supposed  fitly  to 
represent  the  mind,  as  the  other  does  the  external 
aspect  of  departed  generations.  Here  we  found  the 
library  a  most  comfortable,  studious-looking  room, 
lined  with  sober  mahogany  book-cases,  which  were 
filled  with  abundance  of  plainly  dressed  domestic 
looking  books,  written  by  the  good  old  standard 
authors,  w^hom  nobody  ever  thinks  of  reading  now. 
As  Swift  remarked,  men  treat  great  authors  now, 
as  \Tilgar  people  treat  the  nobility,  talking  famil- 
iarly of  those  whose  titles  only  they  have  learned 
by  heart.     Here,  as  in   all  Highland  castles,  the 


BRAHAN   CASTLE.  263 

rooms  were  decorated  with  so  many  stags'  heads, 
that  they  might  have  peopled  a  whole  forest,  but  I 
was  sorry  that  not  a  single  haunch  remained  on  the 
table. 

The  present  proprietor  of  Brahan  Castle  being 
in  office  abroad,  the  house  and  grounds  are  let, 
which  is  less  injurious  to  the  place  and  neighbour- 
hood, than  if  it  had  remained  untenanted  like  many 
of  the  finest  places  in  Ross-shire,  which  had  the  look 
of  neglected  desolation  so  soon  acquired  by  resi- 
dences without  residents. 

The  magnificent  scale  on  which  country  hospi- 
talities must  now  be  maintained  by  those  who  wish 
to  receive  their  friends  at  all,  soon  exhausts  any  pri- 
vate fortune,  and  country  gentlemen,  w^ho  would 
frequently  rather  cease  to  be  hospitable  at  all,  than 
become  so  merely  in  moderation,  retire  from  useful- 
ness at  home  to  the  insignificance  and  incognito  of 
continental  life,  rather  than  exercise  judicious  re- 
trenchments in  the  neighbourhood  where  they  are 
subject  to  observation.  As  a  sensible  old  proverb 
remarks,  "the  eyes  of  other  people  are  the  eyes 
which  ruin  us,"  and  few  persons  regret  any  mode- 
rate privation,  if  no  one  else  be  aware  of  the  neces- 
sity, or  criticise  the  details.  Instead  of  exclaiming, 
like  Sir  Peter  Teazle,  however,  "  defend  me  from 
my  friends,"  I  would  rather  say,  "  defend  me  from 
the  servants  of  my  friends,"  for  they  require  a  de- 
gree of  comfort   and   luxury  where   their  masters 


264  BRAHAN    CASTLE. 

visit,  such  as  a  gentleman  in  former  days  would  have 
been  charmed  to  enjoy.  In  several  Highland 
houses,  the  second  table  declines  to  dine  on  red- 
deer-venison,  muirfowl,  salmon,  salt  meat,  or  any 
thing  cold,  and  a  remonstrance  was  made  at  one 
place,  that  there  had  been  roast  lamb  three  days 
running,  which  could  not  be  tolerated.  A  noble 
Lord  in  Perthshire,  who  allowed  no  second  table  for 
his  establishment,  being  informed  that  the  valet  be- 
longing to  one  of  his  visiters,  had  entered  a  protest 
against  dining  with  the  livery  servants,  sent  for  him 
during  his  own  dinner,  and  said,  pointing  to  a  va- 
cant seat  next  to  the  man's  own  master,  "  I  allow 
only  two  tables  in  my  house,  therefore,  if  you  think 
this  more  suitable  to  your  station  than  the  other, 
pray  be  seated !"  The  man  shrunk  off  quite 
abashed,  and  no  more  was  heard  of  his  difficulties 
or  objections ;  but  servants  in  general  think  it  ne- 
cessary to  support  their  master's  dignity,  by  boasting 
of  the  indulgences  which  they  are  allowed  at  home, 
and  are  perhaps  allowed  to  invent  new  perquisites 
for  themselves,  and  to  claim  some  they  never  before 
enjoyed,  for  we  find  much  truth  in  the  old  saying, 
that  "  the  strictest  economists  are  always  most  liberal 
of  their  neighbour's  goods, — and  a  miser  is  the  most 
jovial  of  all  companions  at  a  friend's  table."  A 
"  good  old  country  gentleman,"  who  w^ould  gladly 
have  been  sociable  with  his  acquaintances,  at  length 
discovers,  after  struggling  with  the  inconvenience  of 


BRAHAN   CASTLE.  265 

all  these  troubles  for  a  few  years,  that  the  same 
gratitude,  and  less  annoyance,  are  given  to  those  who 
keep  a  hotel,  which  would  be  as  agreeable,  and  less 
expensive.  A  Scotch  innkeeper  came  once  in  great 
perplexit^^  to  a  noble  Duke,  saying,  his  Grace's  ser- 
vants had  called  for  claret,  but  he  supposed,  of 
course,  without  permission,  to  which  the  Duke  re- 
plied, "  If  the  fellows  are  impudent  enough  to  ask 
for  it,  I  suppose  they  must  have  some  !"  When  an 
English  Baronet  asked  his  valet  lately,  how  a  pipe 
of  fine  old  port  was  holding  out,  he  replied,  "  In- 
deed, Sir !  we  have  been  rather  hard  upon  it  lately !" 
and  it  was  the  modest  request  of  a  butler  to  his 
master  once,  that  he  might  be  allowed "  more 
wages,  less  work,  and  the  key  of  the  A\dne  cellar !" 
Upper  servants  think  it  beneath  their  dignity  to  be 
contented  anywhere,  or  anyhow,  while  those  who 
wish  to  attain  pre-eminence  among  their  cotempo- 
raries  must  excel  in  the  science  of  fault  findmg,  and 
be  deeply  versed  in  the  mystery  of  perquisites  and 
precedencies.  No  proprietor,  unless  he  has  kept 
open  house  in  the  country,  can  guess  half  the  an- 
noyance these  trifles  connected  wdth  "  the  plague  of 
servants"  occasion,  nor  how  much  this  want  of  pro- 
per discipline  is  the  reason  why  half  the  castles  and 
cottages  in  Scotland  are  "to  be  let  furnished  or 
unfurnished." 

Wishing  you  and  all  the  world  a  good  night. 
Yours,  &c. 

23* 


STRATHPEFFER. 


Oh  I  there  is  sweetness  in  the  mountain  air, 
And  life,  that  bloated  ease  may  never  hope  to  share. 

Byron. 

My  dear  Cousin, — A  new  style  of  writing  Eng- 
lish is  in  vogue  at  present,  in  which  I  have  a  soar- 
ing ambition  to  excel,  if  I  can  only  arrange  a  neat 
mosaic  of  different  languages,  as  ingeniously  as 
some  recent  authors,  who  express  themselves  in  this 
way,  "  Time  passes  a  merveille,  and  I  rose  to-day 
au  point  du  jour,  to  enjoy  a  'promenade  en  voitwe, 
and  afterwards  a  pied,  with  our  cicerone,  where  the 
heau  mcmde  assemble,  and  s^ennuyer  en  cherchant  de 
s^amuser.  Our  cuisine  Francaise  is  superintended 
by  a  chef,  whose  savoir  is  incomparable;  and  at 
dinner  we  had  c6telettes-a-la  minute  dressed  a  ravir, 
entremets, — and  for  the  rest,  see  M.  Ude,  chapter 
ten,  to  be  read  straight  through.  Do  you  remember 
the  affected  Englishman,  who  talked  once  of  "  Id 
maniere  de  socutc/^  and  asked  how  we  express  that 
in  this  country,  when  you  rephed,  "we  generally 
say,  "  P usage  du  monde  !  " 

The  French  insist  there  are  three  things  we 
ought  to  avoid  at  the  risk  of  our  lives, — a  family 
dinner — an  amateur  concert — ^and  home-made  wine; 
but  they  might  have  added,  above  all,  a  watering- 


STRA.THPEFFER.  267 

place  out  of  season.  Here  we  are  at  StrathpefFer, 
the  Harrogate  of  Scotland,  where  people  expect 
their  health  to  be  improved  by  drinking  themselves 
into  a  perfect  dropsy  with  nauseous  mineral  waters. 
There  is  a  fashion  in  physic  quite  as  much  as  in 
bonnets ;  and  Dr.  Granville,  with  his  fifty  German 
Spas,  has  thrown  this  place  rather  into  the  shade, 
though  some  wanderers  yet  continue  to  stray  here 
in  search  of  health,  gayety,  or  retirement,  as  the 
case  may  be.  The  number  of  invalids  arrived  here 
not  being  yet  sufficient  to  constitute  an  ordinary, 
we  had  dinner  in  our  ow^n  room,  so  very  indifferent, 
that  it  ought  to  have  been  hissed  off  the  stage, — a 
leg  of  lamb  that  might  have  grown  into  mutton 
since  the  time  it  was  killed,  and  a  miserable  chicken, 
which  had  been  evidently  starved  to  death. 

Our  landlady  had  somewhat  the  manner  of  a 
retired  Duchess  at  first,  but  at  length  relaxed  from 
her  dignity,  and  paid  me  a  long  visit,  with  a  fine 
lively  baby  in  her  arms  of  nine  months  old,  who 
was  perfectly  blind.  It  was  affecting  to  see  the 
poor  little  thing  so  unconscious  of  a  calamity  which 
must  hereafter  embitter  his  whole  earthly  existence ; 
but,  fortunately  for  himself,  he  is  born  in  a  station 
which  will  oblige  him  to  make  great  exertions  for 
his  subsistence, — as  a  life  without  motive,  occupa- 
tion, or  sight,  would  indeed  be  one  of  hopeless  en- 
durance. The  greatest  alleviation  such  a  case  can 
admit,  is  to  be  found  in  such  employments  as  are 


268  STRATHPEFFER. 

taught  in  the  Bhnd  Asylums,  where  sufferers  are 
consoled  and  cheered  by  the  sympathy  of  others  as 
unhappily  circumstanced.  It  is  a  curious  source 
from  which  to  derive  comfort,  that  of  knowing  oth- 
ers are  as  ill  off'  as  ourselves  ;  but  if  I  had  the  tooth- 
ache, I  should  wish  to  be  in  a  room  full  of  people 
w^ith  the  toothache  also  !  At  the  Blind  Asylum  in 
Edinburgh  you  may  see  any  day  a  very  remarkable 
man,  who  lost  his  sight  at  four  years  old,  and  who 
knows  the  Bible  by  heart  so  perfectly,  that  not  only 
can  he  repeat  without  hesitation  any  chapter  or 
verse  he  may  be  asked  for,  but  he  can  likewise 
quote  parallel  passages  in  Scripture,  and  combine 
the  various  texts  which  teach  similar  doctrines.  If 
I  were  obliged  to  give  up  the  blessing  of  sight,  and 
could  choose  w^hat  gift  to  receive  in  exchange,  it 
would  undoubtedly  be  my  first  wash  to  possess  so 
enlightened  a  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scripture  as 
that  of  John  Maclaren. 

It  was  most  melancholy  and  depressing  to  ob- 
serve the  crow^ds  of  poor,  decrepit,  miserable  objects 
who  assemble  at  Strathpeifer, — and  when  I  saw 
them  so  utterly  helpless  and  wretched,  we  were  re- 
minded of  the  pool  at  Bethesda,  and  of  the  joy  that 
must  have  been  felt  there  at  the  moving  of  the 
w^aters,  though  but  one  sufferer  was  to  be  cured. 
Some  time  ago  subscriptions  were  levied  to  raise 
a  hospital  for  invalids  who  came  here  without  the 
means  of  living,  but   unfortunately   the  collectors 


STRATHPEFFER.  269 

were  too  sanguine,  expecting  ten  times  more  than 
they  received ;  so,  after  expending  more  than  their 
funds  on  raising  the  mere  empty  shell  of  a  large 
edifice,  no  endowment  remained  for  furnishing  it,  or 
supporting  the  inmates ;  therefore  the  building  stands 
bare,  gaunt,  and  empty,  like  too  many  of  our  pubhc 
and  private  structures,  which  become  mere  cumber- 
ers  of  the  ground,  because  men  still  neglect  the 
advice  of  Scripture,  to  "  count  the  cost"  before 
beginning  to  build. 

In  looking  at  the  crowd  of  indigent  suffering  peo- 
ple round  the  well,  how  inevitably  must  that  question 
occur  to  the  minds  of  those  blessed  wdth  health  and 
competence,  "  who  maketh  thee  to  differ  ?"  and 
why  have  the  lines  fallen  unto  us  in  such  pleasant 
places  1  Those  who  neglect  to  alleviate  the  suf- 
ferings of  others,  or  w^ho  encourage  one  discontented 
thought  in  such  circumstances,  would  indeed  deserve 
to  forfeit  all,  and  incur  the  just  indignation  of  that 
Great  and  Good  Being,  who  tries  some  with  adver- 
sity and  others  with  prosperity,  expecting  implicit 
resignation  from  the  one,  and  cheerful  gratitude 
from  the  other,  but  "  all  whose  ways  are  mercy  and 
truth."  While  thankfully  receiving  the  dispensa- 
tions of  good  or  of  apparent  evil  which  fall  to  our 
share  in  the  general  distribution,  we  should  endea- 
vour, if  it  be  possible,  calmly  to  welcome  every 
vicissitude,  under  the  very  soothing  conviction,  that 
nothing  comes  by  chance,  but  all  is  the  appointed 


270  couL. 

means  by  which,  if  rightly  used,  we  shall  be  pre- 
pared to  "  dwell  in  the  House  of  the  Lord  for  ever." 

When  strolling  along  the  highroad,  admiring 
Ben  Weavis,  "  the  mountain  of  storms,"  we  were 
overtaken  by  a  strange-looking  beggar,  dressed  in  a 
sort  of  tattered  magnificence,  with  a  black  satin 
cloak,  the  hood  of  which  was  drawn  over  her  soiled 
and  crumpled  cap.  She  had  pursued  us  at  full 
speed  for  nearly  a  mile,  and  carried  a  large  well- 
grown  baby  in  her  arms.  At  first  I  thought,  from 
her  vehement  unintelhgible  articulation,  that  she 
spoke  in  Gaelic,  but  on  stopping  to  listen,  and  in- 
quiring afterwards,  we  discovered  that  she  was  the 
miserable  remains  of  a  fine  French  abigail,  wander- 
ing through  this  remote  district  in  search  of  charity, 
without  being  able  to  speak  one  w^ord  of  English. 
It  was  quite  a  case,  as  your  sentimental  friend  woiJd 
say,  "  for  sixpence  and  tears."  These  changes  of 
fortune  among  the  spoiled  servants  in  great  families 
are  but  too  frequent,  and  the  ultimate  fate  of  those 
who  are  capriciously  indulging  in  wanton  extrava- 
gance, very  commonly  is  to  die  in  a  hospital,  and 
to  be  buried  by  the  parish. 

Towards  evening,  we  found  ourselves  near  Coul, 
about  tw^o  miles  from  Strathpeffer,  and  having  un- 
derstood that  the  place  is  at  present  to  be  let,  we 
resolved  to  inspect  the  house  and  grounds,  though 
without  much  intention  of  becoming  tenants.  I  was 
not  allowed,  however,  to  admire  anything  beyond  a 


CASTLE    LEOD.  271 

black  palisade,  bristling  all  round  the  park  like  a 
porcupine,  and  covered  with  pitch  and  tar.  You 
shall  now  hear  the  true  meaning  of  "  a  Coul  recep- 
tion." An  old  woman  appeared  at  the  lodge,  very 
like  one  of  the  witches  in  Macbeth,  but  by  no  means 
inclined  to  "  open  locks  whoever  knocks."  See- 
ing we  wished  to  enter,  she  made  me  a  long  oration 
through  the  bars  of  her  gate,  in  Gaelic,  and  having 
"  possession  of  the  house,"  she  declaimed  with  great 
animation,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word  as  she 
shook  her  head,  and  did  not  open  the  black  dismal- 
looking  gate.  I  made  a  speech  in  reply,  of  persua- 
sive eloquence,  but  the  noes  had  it,  and  her  daughter 
finished  the  discussion,  by  acting  as  interpreter,  and 
"  rising  to  explain,"  that  the  proprietor  had  sent 
orders  from  abroad,  "  if  his  most  intimate  friend  ap- 
phed  for  admission,  to  refuse  it."  This  was  unan- 
swerable, so  leaving  the  place  to  "  blush  unseen," 
we  proceeded  to  enjoy  a  stroll  in  the  beautiful  park 
of  Castle  Leod,  which  belonged  to  the  Earls  of  Cro- 
marty, and  has  descended  by  inheritance  to  the 
present  owner,  Mrs.  Hay  Mackenzie.  We  passed 
under  the  shadow  of  a  splendid  Spanish  chesnut,  the 
stem  as  straight  as  a  pillar,  measuring  eighteen  feet 
circumference,  at  five  feet  from  the  ground.  It  has 
luckily  fallen  into  good  hands,  as  we  saw  no  cutting 
or  maiming  of  forests  here,  and  there  is  quite  an  ex- 
hibition of  trees  in  every  variety,  which  might  gain 
a  prize  at  any  show. 


272  CASTLE   LEOD. 

The  very  aged  house  is  built  on  the  model  of 
every  old  Scottish  castle,  v^ith  the  turrets  and  pinna- 
cles looking  like  vinegar  cruets,  and  over  the  door  of 
entrance  are  the  family  arms  emblazoned  on  stone. 
This  place  has  been  these  many  seasons  the  annual 
resort  of  sportsmen,  to  whom  it  is  let  "  unfurnished ;" 
but  I  was  amused  to  hear  that  some  years  ago,  a 
nobleman  of  very  large  fortune  took  the  almost 
empty  house,  and  finding  in  it  a  couple  of  bedsteads 
and  some  wooden  chairs  more  than  had  been  bar- 
gained for,  he  bravely  resolved  to  rough  it  for  the 
season,  without  adding  another  article  of  furniture. 
It  is  amusing  to  see  how  those  who  are  born  and 
bred  in  luxury  delight  occasionally  to  throw  it  off, 
while  the  whole  race  of  nouveaux  riches,  abigails, 
and  valets,  live  in  perpetual  anxiety  about  their  little 
comforts,  and  feel  aggrieved  by  the  most  trifling 
temporary  deficiency.  The  water-drinkers  at  Strath- 
peifer,  flocked  over  to  witness  the  splendour  of  Castle 
Leod,  now  that  it  was  once  more  the  residence  of  an 
earl ;  and  his  lordship  frequently  amused  himself,  by 
accompanying  in  person  a  party  of  lions  from  one 
empty  room  to  another,  opening  the  doors  with  per- 
fect gravity,  as  if  he  thought  them  all  in  the  highest 
state  of  perfection,  while  the  strangers  were  in  a 
most  comical  state  of  perplexity  what  to  say,  or 
how  to  put  a  polite  face  on  their  astonishment. 

A  gentleman  visiting  at   one   of  our   principal 
Highland  residences  some  time  since,  personated  the 


FALLS    OF    ROGIE.  273 

butler  for  a  frolic,  and  conducted  a  party  of  strangers 
round  the  house  and  pictures,  telling  all  sorts  of  absurd 
stories  and  traditions  composed  extempore ;  at  length 
he  concluded  this  rather  mifair  jest,  by  throwing  open 
a  door  leading  into  the  luncheon  room,  and  taking  his 
seat  at  table,  leaving  the  unfortunate  "lions"  planted 
at  the  door,  while  he  exclaimed  with  a  laugh,  "  here 

are  Lord  and  Lady ,  the  present  proprietors!" 

This  morning  we  drove  to  the  Falls  of  Rogie, 
reckoned  so  like  those  of  Tivoh,  that  we  need 
scarcely  now  go  to  Italy.  After  a  few  dry  days, 
the  cascade  was  so  low,  I  might  almost  have  count- 
ed the  drops ;  but  the  surrounding  sceneiy  is  charm- 
ing, and  a  light  rustic  bridge,  crossing  over  the  very 
face  of  the  fall,  has  a  striking  effect.  From  thence 
we  proceeded  to  one  of  the  most  lovely  bits  of  lake 
sceneiy  that  can  by  possibility  be  conceived.  A 
gentleman  in  the  neighbourhood,  when  surprised 
once  by  the  re-appearance  of  an  English  friend,  who 
had  been  in  the  West  Indies  for  sixteen  years,  asked 
what  had  brought  him  to  Scotland  again,  to  which 
the  stranger  replied, "  What  but  to  see  Loch  Achilty 
once  again!"  I  only  wonder  he  could  remain 
avray  so  long !  The  lake  is  quite  a  little  natural 
curiosity,  of  luxuriance  and  beaut)-',  as  blue  and  still 
as  a  piece  of  porcelain  china,  encircled  by  a  ring  of 
mountains  which  are  clothed  to  their  summits  in 
birch  and  fir,  while  every  wooded  hill  thrusts  a 
long  elbow  into  the  water.  High  bare  scalps  of  rock 
24 


274  DINGWALL. 

are  visible  here  and  there,  hke  great  imcuUivated  sav- 
ages peeping  over  into  civihzed  hfe,  and  in  the  most 
romantic  spot  of  all  this  lovely  scene  stands  a  cottage ! 
such  a  cottage  ! ! — ^build  one  according  to  your  most 
romantic  fancy  anywhere,  and  the  situation  can  never 
be  excelled !  "  I  sav^  it  but  a  moment,  and  methinks 
I  see  it  yet !" 

A  bishop  of  Ossory  once  remarked,  that  Ding- 
wall, to  which  we  next  proceeded,  greatly  resembles 
Jerusalem,  and  pointed  out  a  hill,  the  exact  coun- 
terpart of  Mount  Calvary.  In  this  neighbourhood 
are  some  enchanting  drives,  particularly  in  the  di- 
rection of  Tulloch  Castle,  an  elegant  residence, 
magnificently  situated  amidst  a  forest  of  trees,  above 
the  Cromarty  Frith.  Some  miles  beyond  we  saw"  No- 
var,  a  modern  house  in  the  Grecian  style,  surrounded 
by  a  wide  unbroken  expanse  of  magnificent  wood,  and 
where  a  fine  collection  of  foreign  pictures  is  most 
liberally  shown  to  the  public,  though,  imfortunately, 
w^e  did  not  hear  of  this  Highland  Louvre  or  Vatican 
till  too  late.  Fowlis,  belonging  to  Sir  Hector 
Monro,  is  said  to  contain  as  many  windows  as  there 
are  days  in  the  year,  though  I  observed  only  enough 
to  make  a  month.  This  place  has  been  deserted  ever 
since  the  calamitous  death  of  Lady  Monro,  drowned 
along  with  her  maid  when  bathing  some  years  ago. 
Their  cries  for  help  were  distinctly  heard,  but  the 
servants  had  been  so  strictly  prohibited  from  passing 
in  that  direction,  that  none  had  the  presence  of  mind 


INVERGORDON.  275 

to  venture  until  too  late.  A  lawsuit  is  now  in  process, 
whether  the  present  proprietor's  only  daughter,  or  the 
heir-male  to  a  dynasty  of  eight  centuries,  shall  inherit 
this  "very  desirable  tenement,"  which  is  well  worth 
contestino".  The  trees  might  be  a  fortune  in  them- 
selves,  and  it  is  said  the  lives  of  those  that  remain  de- 
pend upon  the  issue  of  this  plea,  as  the  law  did  not  en- 
tail them  on  the  heir  male,  and  many  of  these  forest 
chiefs  have  already  fallen  victims  to  the  axe. 

At  Invergordon  is  a  fine  pier,  protected  by  two 
curious  abrupt  points  of  land,  called  the  Souters  of 
Cromarty,  which  throw  themselves  out  from  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  bay,  like  serpents,  with  their  heads 
almost  meeting.  Their  proximity  would  remind 
you  of  the  Scottish  battle-cry,  "  Shouther  to  shou- 
ther."  This  forms  a  land-locked  basin,  where  the 
whole  navy  of  Great  Britain  might  ride  out  a  sweep- 
ing blast  from  the  wildest  wind  in  the  compass. 

Tarbet  House,  the  modern  residence  of  Mrs. 
Hay  Mackenzie,  has  nothing  in  its  appearance  to 
make  a  song  about.  Though  externally  gay  and 
attractive,  with  an  appearance  of  common-place 
modern  comfort,  it  is  unfit  to  hold  a  candle  to  Cas- 
tle Leod.  The  finest  residence  in  this  neighbour- 
hood is  not  in  the  habit  of  being  shown,  but  we  got 
a  glimpse  of  Balnagown,  belonging  to  Sir  Charles 
Ross,  with  a  modern  addition  a  la  Gillespie,  not  yet 
finished  inside,  but  the  abbey-like  appearance  of  which 
is  a  curious  contrast  to  the  old  Scotch  castle,  looking  as 


276  BALNAGOWN. 

if  it  had  once  belonged  to  the  army,  and  had  now  taken 
orders.  It  stands  in  a  noble  park,  and  commands  a 
wide  expanse  of  the  Cromarty  Frith.    Here  you  have 

room  to  bieathe,  and  we  stood  on  A 's  favourite 

position  for  taking  a  bird's-eye  view, — the  top  of  the 
house, — whence  we  admired  a  fine  comprehensive 
landscape  of  wood,  water,  and  hills,  tastefully  scatter- 
ed, and  showinor  each  other  off  to  the  best  advantao-e. 
Several  of  the  family  pictures  at  Bain  ago  wn  are 
very  interesting.  One  which  attracted  much  of  our 
attention,  represented  Sir  William  Gordon  taking 
leave  of  his  wife  and  seven  children,  previous  to  go- 
ing abroad,  the  whole  party  being  drowned  in  tears  ! 
An  odd  moment  to  choose  for  sitting,  and  certainly 
not  a  happy  one !  Matthews  used  to  exhibit  seven 
different  ways  of  laughing,  and  here  may  be  seen 
as  many  styles  of  weeping  !  One  of  the  young  la- 
dies, who  was  evidently  handsome,  afterwards  be- 
came Countess  of  Cromarty.  A  veiy  striking  picture 
is  here,  by  Sir  Peter  Lely,  representing  the  Duke  of 
Monmouth  as  a  boy,  with  his  mother,  the  celebrated 
Lucy  Waters,  quite  worthy  of  her  reputation  for 
beauty.  We  admired  much  "the  bonny  Earl  of 
Moray,"  reckoned  the  greatest  Adonis  in  his  day, 
who  looks  as  if  he  thouo'ht  himself  so.  His  last 
words,  when  he  was  slain  among  the  rocks  at  Doni- 
bristle,  by  Lord  Huntley,  are  a  curious  record  of 
personal  vanity  strong  even  in  death,  "  You  have 
spoiled  a  better  face  than  your  own !" 


TAIN.  277 

Next  in  the  gallery  hangs  a  faded  but  pleasing 
portrait,  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  of  Sir  John  Lock- 
hart  Ross,  who  began  life  as  a  fifth  son,  and  suc- 
ceeded eventually  to  the  estate,  which  you  will  call 
"  a  melancholy  piece  of  good  fortune."  We  ad- 
mired extremely  a  full  length  portrait  of  Mrs.  Lewis 
Mackenzie,  by  Raeburn,  though,  like  most  of  his 
pictures,  the  very  dark  heavy  shadows  he  has  thrown 
over  the  eyes,  perfectly  burying  them  in  shade,  give 
a  weeping  melancholy  expression  to  the  counte- 
nance, and  the  draperies  cling  as  if  they  were  wet. 
Sir  Henry  Raebm-n  is  said  to  have  been  the  only  boy 
educated  at  Heriot's  Hospital  who  ever  afterwards 
distinguished  himself.  We  observed  a  grotesque  old 
chimney-piece  at  Balnagown,  with  the  family  arms, 
modelled  in  coloured  stucco,  besides  initials  and  va- 
rious zoological  devices,  like  those  carried  about  by 
the  image  boys  in  London.     The  date  was   1670. 

Near  Tain  we  remarked  some  of  the  best  agri- 
culture in  Scotland,  and  were  told  that  Mr.  Ross 
Rose,  a  great  proprietor  here,  had  taken  his  whole 
estate  into  his  own  hands,  and  after  improving  the 
farms  to  their  utmost  capability,  is  now  letting  them 
at  an  augmented  rent  to  the  best  tenants.  I  saw  so 
many  ploughs  going  in  one  field,  that  the  effect  was 
like  a  ploughing  match,  but  his  farming  establish- 
ment is  now  reduced  to  only  forty  pairs  of  horses  ! 
Every  field  for  several  miles  is  trimmed  round  with 
luxuriant  hedges  of  thorn  and  beech,  clipped  anc^ 
24* 


578  TAIN. 

dressed  as  if  they  belonged  to  a  garden,  and  the 
road  is  overhung  with  laburnums  and  other  flowering 
shrubs,  instead  of  the  "  stone  hedges,"  Dr.  Johnson 
complains  of,  which  some  proprietors  prefer,  because 
they  take  less  room  and  no  nourishment. 

When  the  Highlanders  first  observed  the  march 
of  civil  government  into  their  own  wild  fastnesses, 
an  expression  of  angry  consternation  became  gen- 
eral, "  the  law  has  got  to  Tain!"  but  it  might  have 
reminded  them  of  old  times,  to  have  seen  the  Goth- 
ic Church  there,  which  was  forsaken  for  a  barn-hke 
edifice  of  larger  dimensions.  The  state  of  this  ven- 
erable building  at  present  is  perfectly  unique.  The 
roof  is  entire,  but  a  scene  of  desolation  reigns  with- 
in, quite  beyond  description — and  you  would  imag- 
ine that  some  drunken  brawl,  or  O.  P.  riot  had  taken 
place  there  before  it  was  deserted.  Pews  are  torn 
up  by  the  roots  and  scattered  in  fragments  on  the 
aisles,  galleries  hanging  in  splinters,  the  curtains  in 
tatters,  the  windows  broken  and  partly  built  up,  the 
tombs  defaced,  the  pulpit  stair  a  mere  wreck,  and  the 
sacred  desk  itself  tottering  towards  the  ground.  You 
might  fancy  that  a  destructive  army  of  soldiers  had 
laid  it  waste  not  an  hour  ago,  but  this  has  been  its 
situation  these  many  years,  for  the  whole  place  is 
encrusted  with  dust  and  festooned  with  cobwebs. 
We  were  quite  scandalized  to  see  this  venerable 
church  in  so  disreputable  a  condition.  There  are 
traces  yet  remaining,  however,  of  departed  magnifi- 


TAIN.  279 

cence.  The  principal  pew,  with  pillars  on  each  side 
and  a  canopy  above,  is  of  carved  oak,  gilded  like 
the  frame  of  a  mirror.  The  galleries  have  once 
been  painted  in  brilhant  colom'S,  representing  badges 
of  all  the  different  trades  at  Tain,  wheat-sheaves 
for  the  bakers,  and  scissors  for  the  tailors,  which 
were  necessary  hieroglyphics  in  old  times  for  those 
who  could  neither  read  nor  write.  The  only  objects 
Ave  saw  not  in  this  pitiable  state  of  decay,  were  a 
large  black  velvet  pall,  which  lay  in  a  heap  at  one 
corner  of  the  chm'ch,  and  two  modern  white  mar- 
ble tombs,  the  first  commemorating  the  old  clergy- 
man w^ho  last  preached  from  this  forsaken  pulpit, 
and  the  other  in  memory  of  Mrs.  Ross  Rose,  who, 
at  the  early  age  of  twenty-seven,  suddenly  dropped 
dow^n  dead,  when  preparing  medicines  for  a  sick  and 
indigent  family.  A  marble  figure  is  sculptured  on 
one  side  of  the  tablet  in  an  attitude  of  meditation, 
and  a  kneeling  child  opposite,  while  underneath  we 
observed  an  inscription,  expressing  all  that  grief 
could  dictate,  to  attract  the  sym.pathy  and  respect 
of  strangers.  On  the  external  wall  of  this  church 
are  some  curious  old  coats-of-arms  and  images, 
nearly  obliterated  with  age ;  but  one  of  the  effigies 
had  lately  a  most  amusing  adventure,  as  a  worthy 
magistrate  at  Tain  thought  it  a  good  plan  for  im- 
mortalizing his  own  physiognomy,  to  have  this  old 
saint  metamorphosed  into  a  likeness  of  himself,  and 
accordingly  Bailie  Ross   called  in  a  sculptor  and 


280  TAIN. 

caused  his  own  magisterial  features  to  be  duly 
copied  for  the  occasion.  Unfortunately,  after  the 
transformation  was  accomplished,  and  the  city  of 
Tain  had  been  entertained  for  years  with  admiring 
this  modern  antique,  it  one  day  fell  prostrate,  break- 
ins^  throuo^h  the  arch  of  a  burial  vault,  and  when 
we  looked  down,  amidst  crumbling  coffins  and 
human  bones  there  lay  the  broken  image  of  the 
aspiring  Bailie  Ross,  w^hom  I  shall  certainly  make  a 
point  of  never  forgetting.  The  good  people  of 
Tain  behave  rather  unhandsomely  to  the  dead,  hav- 
ing no  scruple  apparently  in  elbowing  them  out  of 
their  own  tomb-stones.  I  found  here  an  ancient 
tablet,  where,  instead  of  refreshing  the  original 
name  and  date,  as  Old  Mortality  did,  one  half  of  the 
inscription  has  been  allowed  to  remain,  setting  forth 
the  virtues  of  an  individual  deceased  a  hundred 
years  since,  but  his  own  designation  was  erased,  and 
the  stone  chiselled  an  inch  deep,  w^ith  the  name  of 
a  Mrs.  Janet  Monro,  wife  of  Alexander  Monro  of 
Tain,  who  died  in  1839.  The  good  lady  may  have 
been  tolerably  honest  during  her  life,  but  this  is  the 
only  instance  I  know  of  a  posthumous  theft.  It. 
might  positively  be  actionable,  if  either  plaintiff  or 
defendant  could  be  summoned  into  court. 

Our  progress  from  Tain  was  delayed,  owing  to 
all  the  horses  having  been  bespoke  for  the  funeral 
of  a  respectable  old  lady,  going  thirty-live  miles  off, 
and  after  breakfast  our  landlady  burst  into  the  room 


TAIN.  2S1 

with  intelligence,  that  she  had  secured  a  window 
for  me,  to  see  the  procession !  I  did  not  expect 
much,  but  the  worthy  landlady  favoured  me  with 
her  own  society  and  remarks  on  the  occasion,  which 
gave  the  affair  a  perfectly  new  aspect.  The  idea  of 
all  her  own  post-horses  being  in  requisition  at  once, 
excited  her  most  reverential  admiration,  besides 
which  we  counted  eight  gigs,  one  post-chaise,  two 
Irish  cars,  one  phaeton,  the  hearse,  and  several  per- 
sons on  horseback !  No  higher  pitch  of  human 
grandeur  at  Tain  could  be  reached !  From  the  im- 
mediate subject  of  her  thoughts,  our  landlady's  con- 
versation digressed  to  the  recent  death  of  the 
Duchess-Countess  of  Sutherland,  when  she  spoke  in 
raptures  of  admiration  respecting  a  most  beautiful  ad- 
dress of  condolence  from  the  Scottish  corporation  in 
London,  to  the  Duke,  which  appeared  that  morning 
in  the  Inverness  Courier,  adding,  that  she  had  locked 
it  up,  thinking  if  ever  her  sons  were  writing  to  friends 
in  distress,  they  could  not  do  better  than  copy  it  out  I 
We  plodded  on  very  comfortably  for  some  time 
after  leaving  Tain,  and  trotted  leisurely  down  hill 
towards  a  bridge,  near  one  side  of  which,  in  a  flat 
cultivated  field,  lay  an  enormous  black  whin  stone, 
about  fifty  feet  round.  It  looked  like  a  prodigious 
haggis  or  some  huge  ungainly  animal  prostrate 
beside  the  highway  ;  but  whatever  our  horse  mistook 
it  for,  he  suddenly  sprung  aside,  threw  his  fore-feet 
over  the  opposite  parapet,  and  struggled  violently 


282  TAIN. 

to  leap  over.  I  have  a  confused  recollection  of 
tearing  down  the  apron,  and  springing  beyond  the 

carriage-wheel  to  the  ground.     A did  the  same, 

and  when  we  looked  round  an  instant  afterwards, 
the  carriage  and  horse  had  entirely  vanished.  I 
felt  for  a  moment  as  if  the  roof  of  my  head  had 
flown  off!  Having  at  length  summoned  courage 
to  take  a  glance  over  the  parapet,  and  ascertain 
the  worst,  I  saw  our  vehicle  lying  upside  down  on 
a  bank  beneath,  and  our  traitor  of  a  horse  strug- 
gling in  the  shafts,  while  a  crowd  of  women,  who  had 
assembled  so  rapidly,  they  seemed  to  have  grown 
out  of  the  ground,  were  using  their  utmost  efforts 

to   assist  A in  righting  the  whole  equipage. 

Meantime  I  sat  down  to  recover  from  the  shock  of 
my  impromptu  descent,  while  a  venerable  grey  haired 
man,  like  a  missionary,  came  up  to  me,  making  many 
suitable  reflections.  No  one  canimagine  how  much 
real  kindness  and  sympathy  there  are  in  the  world  till 
they  be  needed,  and  with  my  senses  perfectly  scat- 
tered by  the  adventure,  it  seemed  quite  providential 
that  a  person  so  able  and  willing  to  direct  my  thoughts 
in  an  appropriate  channel,  should  be  on  the  spot. 
Before  we  had  time  to  fix  on  any  plan  for  proceed  - 
ing  towards  Dornoch,  a  gig  drove  up,  the  proprietor 
of  which  stopped  on  observing  the  disabled  state  of  our 
equipage,  and  obligingly  offered  us  the  use  of  his  own. 
Gigs  were  by  no  means  in  fashion  with  me  now,  but 
our  new  friend  was  so  persevering  in  his  offers  of  ser- 


TAIN.  283 

vice,  that  it  ended  in  A walking  to  the  ferry,  two 

miles  off,  and  the  stranger's  driving  me  there,  though 
I  could  not  but  commiserate  my  own  case,  in  being 
obliged  to  trust  to  any  four-legged  animal  again. 

Some  days  afterwards  A transmitted  an  ac- 
count of  our  accident  to  the  Provost  of  Tain,  suggest- 
ing that  the  great  stone  should  be  tried  by  a  Court 
Martial  and  broke,  as  the  lives  of  Her  Majestj^'s 
lieges  were  endangered  by  so  formidable  looking  an 
object  near  the  highroad;  but  an  answer  arrived 
by  return  of  post,  stating,  that  the  said  stone  was  a 
great  geological  curiosity,  a  special  favom^ite  with 
scientific  men,  and  that  sixty  years  ago  our  corres- 
pondent's own  mother  had  nearly  been  killed  by 
her  horse  taking  fright  on  the  same  spot,  but  he 
could  then  obtain  no  redress.  A  suggestion  was 
made,  at  that  time,  to  cut  up  this  wonderful  phe- 
nomenon into  mile-stones,  but  the  town  of  Tain 
rose  in  arms  against  so  flagrant  a  proposition;  and, 
in  short,  eveiy  traveller's  bones  may  be  broken 
rather  than  this  illustrious  rock, — but  it  would  be 
desirable  that  the  horses  in  that  neighbourhood 
should  learn  better  notions  of  geology. 

If  you  are  fond  of  our  Scotch  dish,  "  hotch- 
potch," my  letters  may  often  bring  it  to  your  mind, 
and  the  phrenological  world  would  see  more  "  casu- 
alty" than  "  concentrativeness"  in  these  new  "  Lights 
and  Shadows  of  Scottish  Life."  At  book-clubs 
now,  to  judge  from  the  works  we  see  most  in  de- 


^84  TAIN. 

mandj  nothing  appears  to  excite  so  much  general 
interest  at  present,  as  the  hfe  and  adventures  of 
highwaymen,  the  more  daring  and  atrocious  the 
better;  but  I  hope  you  will  be  satisfied,  in  this  long 
web  of  a  letter,  to  read  a  few  highway  incidents, 
though  not  seasoned,  unluckily,  with  anything  in 
the  robbery  and  murder  line.  I  thought,  when  paper 
currency  ceased  in  England,  and  we  were  all  obliged 
to  carry  gold  on  our  travels,  that  the  race  of  Turpins 
and  Jack  Sheppards  w^ould  have  revived ;  and  now 
that  the  days  of  knight-errantry  are  restored  in  the 
higher  circles,  perhaps  the  lower  orders,  in  reading 
the  spirited  descriptions  of  times  gone  by,  may  be 
fired  with  emulation  to  imitate  those  heroes  of  the 
road,  who  are  so  eloquently  held  up  as  objects  of  in- 
terest and  admiration  to  all  classes.  Such  works  seem 
on  the  whole,  mere  lessons  of  depravity,  especially  as 
the  pill  is  gilded  w^ith  a  great  deal  of  wit  and  humour. 
Now^  that  we  are  about  to  visit  some  friends  in 
the  neighbourhood,  I  must  draw  my  lucubrations  to 
a  close,  that  the  letter-carrier  may  "  stand  and  deli- 
ver" at  your  door  in  due  time.  Perhaps  you  may 
give  a  hit  at  my  loquaciousness,  as  Sydney  Smith 
did  once  to  a  certain  young  lady,  who  had  become 
very  fluent  on  the  subject  of  an  author's  drollery  and 
humour,  remarking,  that  his  book  was  filled  with 
flashes  of  wit,  when  he  looked  sternly  at  his  talka- 
tive companion,  saying,  "  I  sometimes  prefer  flashes 
of  silence." 

THE    END. 


INDEX. 


Page 

Aird  Lamont, 

. 

50 

Appin, 

109 

Ardgower, 

. 

. 

114 

ArdvoJser  Bay, 

. 

. 

IGl 

Arisaig, 

. 

. 

15G 

Argyle,  Duke  of 

. 

63-71 

Argyleshire, 

. 

117 

Cottages  of, 

. 

86 

Armidale  Castle, 

Portraits  at, 

162 

First  Lord  of  the  Isles, 

163 

,     Sir  James  Macdonald, 

164 

Arran  Mountains, 

50 

Auchnacarry, 

142 

Balmacarra, 

200 

Balnagown, 

. 

275 

Barmore, 

53 

Beauly  Priory, 

, 

257 

Benavie, 

152 

Ben  Cruachan, 

; 

79 

Ben  Nevis, 

. 

110 

Brahan  Castle, 

260 

Portraits  at, 

. 

Lord  Seaforth, 

261 

J) 

Lady 

Seaforih, 

261 

Georg 

^e  the  Third, 

261 

Cardinal  Richlieu, 

261 

Duchess  of  Cleveland,     , 

261 

Broadford, 

. 

. 

169 

Bute,     . 

41 

Kyles  of, 

. 

43 

Caledonian  Canal, 

137 

Camerons  of  Loc 

hiel, 

139 

Campbells, 

. 

51 

Castle  Leod, 

. 

271 

Cave  in  Island  o 

fEigg, 

185 

Cawdor  Castle, 

234 

King  D 

mean's 

room  where  murdered, 

237 

Lord  Lovat's  cc 

mcealment, 

239 

Chisholm,  The 

. 

244 

Grave  of, 

246 

25 


344 


INDEX. 


Pa^e 


Chieftain  of  Macintosh, 

Chieftain  of  Locheil, 

Christian  profession 

Clans, 

Coran  Ferry 

Coruisk, 

Coul, 

Dalmallv, 

Dark  Mile, 

Deep  Well, 

Dingwall, 

Dochfol^r, 

Druid's  Stone, 

Drumnadrochit, 

Dunolly  Castle, 

Dunstaffnage  Castle, 

English  Clergyman's  Cotta 

Erchless  Castle, 

Fall  of  Foyers, 

Falls  of  Rogie, 

Fort  William, 

Gaelic, 

Glencoe, 

Glenfinnan, 

Glengarry, 

Glen  Shell, 

Glen  Urquhart, 

Gordon  of  Cluny. 

Highland  Proprietors 

Tenantry, 

Attachment  of  ditto, 

Lairds,     . 

Forests,    . 
Invergordon, 
Inverary,  approach  to, 

Inn, 

Town-crier  of, 

Castle  of 

Entrance  Hall  of, 

Castle,  Portraits  c 
„    M 


iss  Bellenden, 
Miss  Gunning, 
Duke  of  Argyll, 
Marquis  of  Argyll, 
Mrs.  Gunning, 
Lady  Charlotte  Bury 
Duke  of  Hamilton, 


Invermcrriston. 


INDEX. 


345 


Page 


Inverlochy  Castle, 

. 

, 

131 

Inverness, 

230 

Inverniel, 

. 

53 

Isle  of  Sky,      . 

159 

Hospitality  c 

)f/ 

192 

Food  of, 

194 

Waste  land  of, 

195 

Cottages  of. 

196 

Kean's  Cottage, 

37 

Kilchurn  Castle, 

82 

Killichrist  Church, 

259 

Kiliavuck, 

243 

Loch  Awe, 

81-89 

Loch  Arcaig, 

144 

Loch  Fyne, 

52 

Loch  Linhe, 

104 

Loch  Scavaig, 

18G 

Loch  Ness, 

220-229 

Lochalsh, 

198 

elegant  Yacht  at, 

207 

Lochiel, 

. 

145 

Lord  Cranstoun's  Cottage, 

157 

Maclean, 

. 

•            .             106 

Macdonald,      . 

. 

166 

Macgregors,    . 

88 

M'lnnes, 

170 

McMillan's  Cottage 

189 

Macraes, 

. 

211 

Monastery  of  Inishail, 

81 

Mount  Stev/art, 

. 

16 

Approach  to,    - 

17 

House 

of, 

18 

Entrance  Hall  of, 

18 

Gardens  of, 

28 

Walks 

of,            .              .              . 

34 

Portraits  at, 

}) 

Duchess  of  Lauderdal 

2,           .                21 

5) 

Lord  Bute, 

22 

); 

Duchess  of  Orleans, 

23 

)  f 

Rubens, 

23 

Lady  Jane  Douglas, 

23 

)) 

Countess  of  Percy, 

24 

Countess  of  Lonsdale, 

24 

Countess  of  Macartney 

24 

J, 

Lady  M.  W.  Montagi 

25 

j^ 

Lady  M.  Menzies, 

2(> 

jj 

Duchess  of  Queensbu 

ry,        .             27 

Muckairn, 

. 

91 

346 


INDEX. 


rage 


Opium  Eating, 

30 

Officer's  Cottage, 

48 

Ossian's  Cave, 

126 

Penimore, 

56 

Poor  Beg£2:ar, 

227 

Popish  Chapel, 

130 

Prince  Charles, 

139 

Prince  Charles's  Cave, 

183 

Ratachan, 

211 

Roman  Catholic  Priest, 

253 

Rotliesav, 

9 

Air  of, 

11 

Bay  of, 

11 

View  from  Inn  of, 

12 

Castle, 

13 

County  Jail  of. 

15 

Villa  near, 

39 

Sailing  Vessel, 

160 

Scavaig  and  Coruisk, 

178 

Scotticisms, 

87 

Sir  Alan  Cameron, 

138 

South  Hall, 

45 

Strath, 

172 

Strathaird's  Cave, 

181 

Strathglass, 

245 

Swiss  and  German  Cottages, 

19 

Strathpeffer, 

266 

Invalids  at. 

268 

French  abigail  at, 

270 

Tain, 

277 

Gothic  Church  at, 

278 

Bailie  Pi.oss  at, 

279 

Funeral  at, 

280 

Whin  stone  at,  . 

281 

Accident  at, 

282 

Temple  Newsome,      . 

19 

Upper  servants. 

265 

Urquhart  Castle, 

222 

Veto  law, 

93 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


0035524847 


941.4 
Si5 


n  bl  o31<^ 


-^   M    AAAa 


